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OUTING ADVENTURE LIBRARY 



HOBART PASHA 



By AUGUSTUS CHARLES HOBART-HAMPDEN 

Blockade-Running, Slaver-Hunting, 
and War and Sport in Turkey 



EDITED BY 

HORACE KEPHART 




NEW YORK 

OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY 

MCMXV 



ISIS 



Copyright, 1915, by 
OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY 



All rights reserved. 



/££. 



1916 



CD 



SJLA418655 

-Ho J . 



INTRODUCTION 

Hobart Pasha was one of the most remarkable 
men of the nineteenth century. Nature had fitted 
him for the role of an Elizabethan corsair, but 
he was born out of his due time, and, by some 
strange jugglery of fate, was projected into the 
Victorian era. 

Full of energy and overflowing with animal spir- 
its, he craved a life of excitement and adventure. 
The long dull intervals of naval routine in times 
of peace bored and irritated him. He chafed un- 
der the iron discipline of his period and rebelled 
against the tyranny of superiors. Daring and 
self-confident, he scorned the conventions that 
frowned upon his fondness for romantic enter- 
prizes. And so, finally, when convinced that the 
royal navy offered no scope for his peculiar tal- 
ents, nor prospect of the advancement he deserved, 
Hobart abandoned the service to become a free 
lance, a soldier of fortune, who might fight under 
any flag he chose. 

The following reminiscences, which he called 
" Sketches from My Life," were jotted down in 
the enforced leisure of the sick-room, from which 

5 



6 INTRODUCTION 

he was never to emerge alive. Despite the offhand 
style in which they were composed, and the im- 
possibility of revision, these memoirs are among 
the most interesting in our literature. Hobart's 
tales of his youthful experiences as a man-o'-wars- 
man read like pages from " Midshipman Easy " 
or " Peter Simple " ; his record of blockade-run- 
ning during our civil war is as thrilling as a nau- 
tical romance by Jules Verne. He is never prolix. 
The stories are told in a plain, bluff, sailorlike 
way, though with instinctive choice of the apt word 
or phrase ; and when told, he quits. 

Hobart has been accused of interweaving fact 
and fiction to produce a story that would be ben 
trovato if not vero. His critics admit that no 
man of his time crowded more romantic and ex- 
citing episodes into the span of a lifetime; but, 
like that earlier paladin of adventure Captain 
John Smith, he is taxed with inventing extraor- 
dinary situations, whereas if he had been content 
to tell the plain facts about his career they would 
have been marvellous enough. This charge is 
worth looking into. 

An expert who had access to the British naval 
archives put Hobart's " Sketches " to the test of 
close comparison with the records. He found, in 
the first nine chapters of the book (but not else- 
where) that " times, places, and actors are so jum- 



INTRODUCTION 7 

bled together as to make the unravelling of the 
real thread a process something like that of wind- 
ing off a silken cord from a badly tangled skein. 
. . . Statements and narratives which on the face 
of them we should receive with cautious doubt are 
true enough ; others which we should read with- 
out the slightest suspicion are the veriest 
dreams." 

The best informed reviewers have absolved Ho- 
bart from any intention to deceive. The inaccu- 
racies and fancies in the fore part of the book 
may be ascribed to the confused memory of an old 
and sorely stricken man, who, in some instances 
was unable to distinguish what he had heard from 
what he had seen. The first nine chapters cover 
the period of his youth and early manhood. On 
the sick-bed he had no opportunity to check off 
his recollections of that far-off time against writ- 
ten or printed records. In the present edition all 
errors that are of any consequence have been cor- 
rected by footnotes. 

Chapters ten to sixteen are of an entirely differ- 
ent order. They narrate the author's experiences 
as a blockade runner in our war between the States. 
They were published by him at the close of the war 
in a little volume entitled " Never Caught." All 
the scenes and adventures were then fresh and 
vivid in his memory, and they are accepted as un- 



8 INTRODUCTION 

varnished truth by men who participated in the 
thrilling events that are here portrayed. 

The rest of the book relates to Hobart's serv- 
ice as admiral and pasha in the Turkish navy. 
This part of his life was the " to-day " of him who 
described it, and the accuracy of his record has 
not been questioned. 

So it turns out that the really remarkable feats 
he claims to have performed he did perform. Com- 
pared with them it is of no consequence whether in 
his youth, when he was rollicking or chasing 
slavers, his ship happened to be where he says it 
was, at a given time, or on the other side of the 
Atlantic. 

One will note that the names of the author's 
personal enemies, and even of their ships, are pur- 
posely obscured or merely indicated by initials. 
He respected the feelings and dignity of his adver- 
saries. Another likable trait in the man is his 
modesty: there is no swashbuckling nor bragga- 
docio here. 

Of his ancestry he simply says " I was born of 
respectable parents " — not a pretentious claim, 
in view of the fact that he was a younger son of 
the 6th earl of Buckinghamshire, and lineal de- 
scendant of no less a personage than John Hamp- 
den. 

Augustus Charles Hobart-Hampden was born 



INTRODUCTION 9 

April 1, 1822. Entering the royal navy at the 
age of thirteen, he immediately became not only 
witness but victim of that cult of tyranny and ter- 
rorism that made many a vessel in those days a 
floating hell. Some of the examples he gives are 
so outrageous that he has been accused of exag- 
gerating; but one of his critics, in the Saturday 
Review, declares : " It is within the memory of 
many living men that a captain, who is called in 

this volume Sir Wm. M ,* and who had, rightly 

or wrongly, the reputation of being the smartest 
officer in the navy, used regularly, and as a matter 
of course, to flog the last man down from furling 
the sails." 

Hobart was of a kindly nature, but of very in- 
dependent spirit, and such brutalities made him 
blaze out and speak his mind. This only gained 
for him the reputation of a " troublesome char- 
acter " and a " sea lawyer." It had much to do in 
retarding his promotion, which furthermore was 
checked by the slenderness of his means. He did 
not even reach the rank of post-captain until after 
twenty-eight years' service, and then, soured or 
despairing, he promptly retired on half pay. 

By this time (1863) the civil war in America 
was well advanced. Hobart, who believed that the 
negro is fit to be only a white man's servant, sym- 
* Admiral Sir William Martin. (Ed.) 



10 INTRODUCTION 

pathized with the South. Had he been a rich man 
he doubtless would have enlisted with the Confed- 
eracy. Being poor, he determined to combine 
principle with profit by running the blockade into 
southern ports, just as in 1812 the bolder Amer- 
ican merchants ran cargoes into the ports of 
blockaded France. 

Assuming the nom de guerre of Captain 
" Charles Roberts," he took command of a swift 
steamer and made several hazardous passages into 
Wilmington and Charleston. His skilful seaman- 
ship, canny precautions, ready wit, great daring 
and presence of mind, together with the " luck " 
that such qualities generally compel, brought him 
and his ship scatheless through many a " close 
shave " and exciting chase. 

In 1867 Hobart entered the Turkish service as 
naval adviser to the sultan, and at once utilized 
his experience as arch-blockade runner by turn- 
ing blockader himself and bottling up the Greek 
ships that had been supplying insurgents in Crete. 
Thus in a few days he suppressed the Cretan re- 
bellion, and won the personal friendship of the 
sultan. 

Nothing could have made him more unpopular 
in England than enlistment under the Crescent. 
But Hobart was one of those cosmopolites who 
can see and acknowledge the good that is in any 



INTRODUCTION 11 

people. He admired manliness wherever he found 
it, and took keen relish in the valor of aliens or foes 
as well as in that of his comrades in arms. Among 
the Ottomans he won respect, in turn, for his cour- 
age, ability, and unswerving honesty. In 1881 he 
was appointed mushir or marshal of the empire. 

Hobart was twice struck off the British naval 
retired list for breach of the Foreign Enlistment 
Act, but twice reinstated — the second time 
(1885) with rank of vice-admiral. 

The malady from which he suffered while pen- 
ning these " Sketches " was an affection of the 
heart. It proved fatal before the book issued 
from the press. He died at Milan, June 19, 1886, 
and was buried in the English cemetery at Scu- 
tari. 

From one who knew him we have the following 
sketch of Hobart's personality. — " Though not 
what would be called a handsome man, he had a 
pleasant, well-featured face. In figure he was per- 
haps below the middle size, and was remarkable 
for the smallness of his hands and feet. His frame 
was thick-set, firm and wiry, but with nothing 
bulky about it — had there been it would have 
been carried off by the scrupulous niceties of his 
dress. Wherever he went, Hobart was a favorite. 
He was that sort of man who impressed all of his 
acquaintances with his humor and bonhomie. His 



12 INTRODUCTION 

equals were always ready to help him in emergen- 
cies, and though he was no disciplinarian, his in- 
feriors, both in the English and in the Turkish 
services, were glad to obey his lightest behests." 

For serving under the flag of the execrated 
Turk he was roundly abused by many of his coun- 
trymen, but others foresaw that history, in time to 
come, would do him justice. One has said: " Our 
grandfathers would have openly called Hobart 
Pasha a renegade — we only think him so — our 
grandchildren will do neither." 

The London Daily Telegraph summarized his 
character in these words : 

" Altogether Augustus Charles Hobart was a 
remarkable man — bluff, bold, dashing, and some- 
what dogged. There was in his composition some- 
thing of the mediaeval * condottiere,' and a good 
deal more of that Dugald Dalgetty whom Scott 
drew. Gustavus Adolphus would have made much 
of Hobart ; the great Czarina, Catherine II, would 
have appointed him Commander-in-Chief of her 
fleet, and covered him with honors, even as she 
did her Scotch Admiral Gleig, and that other yet 
more famous sea-dog, king of corsairs, Paul Jones. 
It would be unjust to sneer at Hobart as a mer- 
cenary. His was no more a hired sword than 
were the blades of Schomberg and Berwick, of 
Maurice de Saxe and Eugene of Savoy. When 



INTRODUCTION 13 

there was fighting to be done Hobart liked to be 
in it — that is all. Of the fearless, dashing, ad- 
venturous Englishman, ready to go anywhere and 
do anything, Hobart was a brilliantly represen- 
tative type." 

Horace Kephart. 



CONTENTS 

chapter page 

Introduction 5 

I A Rough Start in Life . . . . 19 

II Perils by Sea and Land . . . .31 

III A Tragical Affair 44 

IV Rio de Janeiro 53 

V Slaver Hunting 60 

VI Slaver Hunting (Continued) . . 70 

VII Love and Murder 79 

VIII The Queen's Yacht ..... 88 

IX In the Baltic 95 

X Blockade-Running 104 

XI Exciting Adventures 119 

XII A Visit to Charleston . . . .136 

XIII Never Caught! 149 

XIV Last Days on the " D — n " . . .162 

XV Richmond During the Siege . . .173 

XVI The Land Blockade 188 

XVII I Enter the Turkish Navy . . .199 

XVIII The War with Russia 213 

XIX The Turkish Fleet During the War 228 

XX Sport in Turkey 246 

XXI Sport and Society 263 



HOBART PASHA 



HOBART PASHA 

CHAPTER I 

A ROUGH START IN LIFE 

TO attempt to write and publish sketches of 
my somewhat eventful career is an act that, 
I fear, entails the risk of making enemies of 
some with whom I have come in contact. But I 
have arrived at that time of life when, while respect- 
ing, as I do, public opinion, I have hardened some- 
what into indifference of censure. I will, however, 
endeavour to write as far as lies in my power 
(while recording facts) " in charity with all men." 
This can be done in most part by omitting the 
names of ships in which and officers under whom I 
have served. 

I was born, as the novelists say, of respectable 
parents, at Walton-on-the-Wold, in Leicestershire, 
on April 1, 1822. I will pass over my early youth, 
which was, as might be expected, from the time of 
my birth until I was ten years of age, without any 
event that could prove interesting to those who are 
kind enough to peruse these pages. 
19 



20 HOBART PASHA 

At the age of ten I was sent to a well-known 
school at Cheam, in Surrey, the master of which, 
Dr. Mayo, has turned out some very distinguished 
pupils, of whom I was not fated to be one ; for, 
after a year or so of futile attempt on my part to 
learn something, and give promise that I might 
aspire to the woolsack or the premiership, I was 
pronounced hopeless ; and having declared myself 
anxious to emulate the deeds of Nelson, and other 
celebrated sailors, it was decided that I should en- 
ter the navy, and steps were taken to send me at 
once to sea. 

A young cousin of mine * who had been ad- 
vanced to the rank of captain, more through the in- 
fluence of his high connections than from any merit 
of his own, condescended to give me a nomination 
in a ship which he had just commissioned, and thus 
I was launched like a young bear, " having all his 
sorrows to come," into Her Majesty's navy as a 
naval cadet. I shall never forget the pride with 
which I donned my first uniform, little thinking 
what I should have to go through. My only con- 
solation while recounting facts that will make many 
parents shudder at the thought of what their 
children (for they are little more when they join 
the service) were liable to suffer, is, that things are 
now totally altered, and that under the present re- 

*Sir Charles Eden, afterwards vice-admiral. (Ed.) 



A ROUGH START IN LIFE 21 

gime every officer, whatever his rank, is treated like 
a gentleman, or he, or his friends, can know " the 
reason why." 

I am writing of a period some fifteen or twenty 
years after Marryat had astonished the world by 
his thrilling descriptions of a naval officer's life 
and its accompanying troubles. At the time of 
which I write people flattered themselves that the 
sufferings which " Midshipman Easy " and " The 
Naval Officer " underwent while serving the Crown 
were tales of the past. I will show by what I am 
about very briefly to relate that such was very far 
from being the case. 

Everything being prepared, and good-bye being 
said to my friends, who seemed rather glad to be 
rid of me, I was allowed to travel from London on 
the box of a carriage which contained the great 
man who had given me the nomination (captains of 
men-of-war were very great men in those days), 
and after a long weary journey we arrived at the 

port where H.M.S. * was lying ready for 

sea. On the same night of our arrival the sailing 
orders came from the Admiralty ; we were to go to 
sea the next day, our destination being South 
America. 

Being a very insignificant individual, I was put 
into a waterman's boat with my chest and bed, and 
*The Rover. (Ed.) 



22 HOBART PASHA 

was sent on board. On reporting myself, I was 
told by the commanding officer not to bother him, 
but to go to my mess, where I should be taken care 
of. On descending a ladder to the lower deck, I 
looked about for the mess, or midshipmen's berth, 
as it was then called. In one corner of this deck 
was a dirty little hole about ten feet long and six 
feet wide, five feet high. It was lighted by two 
or three dips, otherwise tallow candles, of the com- 
monest description — behold the mess ! 

In this were seated six or seven officers and 
gentlemen, some twenty-five to thirty years of age, 
called mates, meaning what are now called sub-lieu- 
tenants. They were drinking rum and water and 
eating mouldy biscuits ; all were in their shirtsleeves, 
and really, considering the circumstances, seemed 
to be enjoying themselves exceedingly. 

On my appearance it was evident that I was 
looked upon as an interloper, for whom, small as I 
was, room must be found. I was received with a 
chorus of exclamations, such as, " What the deuce 
does the little fellow want here ? " " Surely there 
are enough of us crammed into this beastly little 
hole ! " " Oh, I suppose he is some protege of the 
captain's," &c, &c. 

At last one, more kindly disposed than the rest, 
addressed me : " Sorry there is no more room in 
here, youngster ; " and calling a dirty-looking fel- 



A ROUGH START IN LIFE 23 

low, also in his shirtsleeves, said, " Steward, give 
this young gentleman some tea and bread and but- 
ter, and get him a hammock to sleep in." So I 
had to be contented to sit on a chest outside the 
midshipmen's berth, eat my tea and bread and but- 
ter, and turn into a hammock for the first time in 
my life, which means " turned out " — the usual 
procedure being to tumble out several times before 
getting accustomed to this, to me, novel bedstead. 
However, once accustomed to the thing, it is easy 
enough, and many indeed have been the comfort- 
able nights I have slept in a hammock, such a sleep 
as many an occupant of a luxurious four-poster 
might envy. At early dawn a noise all around me 
disturbed my slumbers : this was caused by all 
hands — officers and men — being called up to re- 
ceive the captain, who was coming alongside to as- 
sume his command by reading his official appoint- 
ment. 

I shall never forget his first words. He was a 
handsome young man, with fine features, darkened, 
however, by a deep scowl. As he stepped over 
the side he greeted us by saying to the first lieu- 
tenant in a loud voice, " Put all my boat's crew 
in irons for neglect of duty." It seems that one 
of them kept him waiting for a couple of minutes 
when he came down to embark. After giving this 
order our captain honored the officers who received 



M HOBART PASHA 

him with a haughty bow, read aloud his commis- 
sion, and retired to his cabin, having ordered the 
anchor to be hoisted in two hours. 

Accordingly at eight o'clock we stood out to 
sea, the weather being fine and wind favorable. 
At eleven all hands were called to attend the pun- 
ishment of the captain's boat's crew. I cannot 
describe the horror with which I witnessed six fine 
sailor-like looking fellows torn by the frightful 
cat, for having kept this officer waiting a few min- 
utes on the pier. Nor will I dwell on this illegal 
sickening proceeding, as I do not write to create a 
sensation, and, thank goodness ! such things cannot 
be done now. 

I had not much time for reflection, for my turn 
came next. I believe I cried or got into some- 
body's way, or did something to vex the tyrant ; all 
I know is that I heard myself addressed as " You 
young scoundrel," and ordered to go to the mast- 
head. Go to the mast-head indeed ! with a freshen- 
ing wind, under whose influence the ship was be- 
ginning to heel over, and an increasing sea that 
made her jump about like an acrobat. I had not 
got my sea legs, and this feat seemed an utter im- 
possibility to me. I looked aloft with horror; 
then came over me the remembrance of Marryat's 
story of the lad who refused to go to the mast- 
head, and who was hoisted up by the signal hal- 



A ROUGH START IN LIFE 25 

yards. While thinking of this, another " Well, 
sir, why don't you obey orders ? " started me into 
the lower rigging, which I began with the greatest 
difficulty to climb, expecting at every step to go 
headlong overboard. 

A good-natured sailor, seeing the fix I was in, 
gave me a helping hand, and up I crawled as far as 
the maintop. This, I must explain to my non- 
nautical reader, is not the mast-head, but a com- 
paratively comfortable half-way resting-place, 
from whence one can look about feeling somewhat 
secure. 

On looking down to the deck my heart bled to 
see the poor sailor who had helped me undergoing 
punishment for his kind act. I heard myself at 
the same time ordered to " go higher," and a little 
higher I did go. Then I stopped, frightened to 
death, and almost senseless ; terror, however, 
seemed to give me presence of mind to cling on, 
and there I remained till some hours afterwards; 
then I was called down. On reaching the deck I 
fainted, and knew no more till I awoke after some 
time in my hammock. 

Now, I ask any one, even a martinet at heart, 
whether such treatment of a boy, not thirteen 
years of age, putting his life into the greatest 
danger, taking this first step towards breaking his 
spirit, and in all probability making him, as most 



26 HOBART PASHA 

likely had been done to the poor men I had seen 
flogged that morning, into a hardened mutinous 
savage, was not disgraceful? 

Moreover, it was as close akin to murder as it 
could be, for I don't know how it was I didn't fall 
overboard, and then nothing could have saved my 
life. However, as I didn't fall, I was not drowned, 
and the effect on me was curious enough. For all 
I had seen and suffered on that the opening day 
of my sea-life made me think for the first time — 
and I have never ceased thinking (half a century 
has passed since then) — how to oppose tyranny 
in every shape. Indeed, I have always done so 
to such an extent as to have been frequently called 
by my superiors " a troublesome character," " a 
sea lawyer," &c. 

Perhaps in this way I have been able to effect 
something, however small, towards the entire 
change that has taken place in the treatment of 
those holding subordinate positions in the navy — 
and that something has had its use, for the 
tyrant's hand is by force stayed now, " for once 
and for all." 

With this little I am satisfied. 

Now let us briefly look into the question, " Why 
are men tyrants when they have it in their power 
to be so? " 

Unfortunately, as a rule, it appears to come 



A ROUGH START IN LIFE 27 

natural to them ! What caused the Indian Mu- 
tiny? Let Indian officers and those employed in 
the Indian civil service answer that question. 

However, I have only to do with naval officers. 
My experience tells me that a man clothed with 
brief but supreme authority, such as the command 
of a man-of-war, in those days when for months 
and months he was away from all control of his 
superiors and out of reach of public censure, is 
more frequently apt to listen to the promptings of 
the devil, which more or less attack every man, 
especially when he is alone. 

Away from the softening influence of society 
and the wholesome fear of restraint, for a time at 
least the voice of his better angel is silenced. 
Perhaps also the necessarily solitary position of a 
commander of a man-of-war, his long, lonely hours, 
the utter change from the jovial life he led previ- 
ous to being afloat, to say nothing of his liver get- 
ting occasionally out of order, may all tend to 
make him irritable and despotic. 

I have seen a captain order his steward to be 
flogged, almost to death, because his pea-soup was 
not hot. I have seen an officer from twenty to 
twenty-five years of age made to stand between 
two guns with a sentry over him for hours, be- 
cause he had neglected to see and salute the tyrant 
who had come on deck in the dark. And as a 



28 HOBART PASHA 

proof, though it seems scarcely credible, of what 
such men can do when unchecked by fear of con- 
sequences, I will cite the following: — 

On one occasion the captain of whom I have 
been writing invited a friend to breakfast with him, 
and there being, I suppose, a slight monotony in 
the conversation, he asked his guest whether he 
would like, by way of diversion, to see a man 
flogged. The amusement was accepted, and a 
man was flogged. 

It was about the time I write of that the tyr- 
anny practiced on board her Majesty's ships was 
slowly but surely dawning upon the public, and a 
general outcry against injustice began. 

This was shown in a very significant manner 
by the following fact : — 

A post-captain of high rank and powerful con- 
nections dared, in contradiction to naval law, to 
flog a midshipman. This young officer's father, 
happening to be a somewhat influential man, made 
a stir about the affair. The honorable captain 
was tried by court-martial and severely repri- 
manded. 

However, I will cut short these perhaps uninter- 
esting details, merely stating that for three years 
I suffered most shameful treatment. My last in- 
terview with my amiable cousin is worth relating. 
The ship was paid off, and the captain, on going 



A ROUGH START IN LIFE 29 

to the hotel at Portsmouth, sent for me and offered 
me a seat on his carriage to London. Full of dis- 
gust and horror at the very sight of him, I replied 
that I would rather " crawl home on my hands and 
knees than go in his carriage," and so ended our 
acquaintance, for I never saw him again. 

It may be asked how, like many others, I tided 
over all the ill-usage and the many trials endured 
during three years. The fact is, I had become 
during that period of ill-treatment so utterly 
hardened to it that I seemed to feel quite indif- 
ferent and didn't care a rap. But wasn't I glad 
to be free! 

I had learnt many a lesson of use to me in after 
life, the most important of all being to sympathise 
with other people's miseries, and to make allowance 
for the faults and shortcomings of humanity. 

On the other hand, experience is a severe task- 
master, and it taught me to be somewhat insub- 
ordinate in my notions. I fear I must confess 
that this spirit of insubordination has never left 
me. 

On my arrival at home my relations failed to 
see in me an ill-used lad (I was only sixteen), and 
seemed inclined to disbelieve my yarns ; but this did 
not alter the facts, nor can I ever forget what I 
went through during that reign of terror, as it 
might well be called. 



30 HOBART PASHA 

People may wonder how was it in the days of 
Benbow and his contemporaries no complaints were 
made. To this I answer, first, that the men of 
those days, knowing the utter hopelessness of com- 
plaining, preferred to grin and bear; secondly, 
that neither officers nor men were supposed to pos- 
sess such a thing as feeling, when they had once 
put their foot on board a man-of-war. Then there 
were the almost interminable sea voyages under 
sail, during which unspeakable tyrannies could be 
practised, unheard of beyond the ship, and un- 
punished. It must be remembered that there were 
no telegraphs, no newspaper correspondents, no 
questioning public, so that the evil side of human 
nature (so often shown in the very young in their 
cruelty to animals) had its swing, fearless of retri- 
bution. 

Let us leave this painful subject, with the con- 
soling thought that we shall never see the like 
again. 



CHAPTER II 

PERILS BY SEA AND LAND 

AFTER enjoying a few weeks at home, I was 
appointed to the Naval Brigade on service 
in Spain, acting with the English army, 
who were there by way of assisting Queen Chris- 
tina against Don Carlos. 

The army was a curious collection of regular 
troops and volunteer soldiers, the latter what would 
be called Bashi-Bazouks. The naval part of the 
expedition consisted of 1,200 Royal Marines, and 
a brigade of sailors under the orders of Lord John 
Hay. The army (barring the regulars, who were 
few in numbers) was composed of about 15,000 of 
the greatest rabble I ever saw, commanded by Sir 
De Lacy Evans.* 

For fear any objection or misapprehension be 
applied to the word " rabble," I must at once state 
that these volunteers, though in appearance so 

* He had not yet been knighted. There is an evident 
confusion of dates in this story, and it has even been 
charged that Hobart was not present at this battle at all. 
(Ed.) 

31 



8« HOBART PASHA 

motley and undisciplined, fought splendidly, and 
in that respect did all honor to their country and 
the cause they were fighting for. 

Very soon after we had disembarked I received 
what is usually called my baptism of fire, that is to 
say, I witnessed the first shot fired in anger. The 
Carlists were pressing hard on the Queen's forces, 
who were returning towards the sea ; it was of 
the greatest importance to hold certain heights 
that defended San Sebastian and the important 
port of Passagis. 

The gallant marines (as usual to the front) 
were protecting the hill on which Lord John was 
standing; the fire was hot and furious. I can- 
didly admit I was in mortal fear, and when a shell 
dropped right in the middle of us, and was, I 
thought, going to burst (as it did), I fell down on 
my face. Lord John, who was close to me, and 
looking as cool as a cucumber, gave me a severe 
kick, saying, " Get up, you cowardly young ras- 
cal; are you not ashamed of yourself? " 

I did get up and was ashamed of myself. From 
that moment to this I have never been hard upon 
those who flinched at the first fire they were under. 
My pride helped me out of the difficulty, and I 
flinched no more. For an hour or so the battle 
raged furiously. 

By degrees all fear left me; I felt only excite- 



PERILS BY SEA AND LAND 33 

ment and anger, and when we (a lot I had to do 
with it!) drove the enemy back in the utmost con- 
fusion, wasn't I proud! 

When all was over Lord John called me, and 
after apologising in the most courteous manner for 
the kick, he gave me his hand (poor fellow ! he had 
already lost one arm while fighting for his coun- 
try), and said: "Don't be discouraged, young- 
ster; you are by no means the first who has shown 
alarm on being for the first time under fire." So 
I was happy. 

It is not my intention to give in detail the events 
that I witnessed during that disastrous civil war in 
Spain ; suffice it that after much hard fighting the 
Carlists were driven back into their mountains so 
much discouraged that they eventually renounced 
a hopeless cause; and at all events for a long pe- 
riod order was restored in Spain. 

After serving under Lord John Hay for six or 
seven months, I was appointed to another ship,* 
which was ordered to my old station, South 
America. 

The captain of my new ship was in every sense 
a gentleman, and although a strict disciplinarian, 
was just and kind-hearted. From the captain 
downwards every officer was the same in thought 

* Hobart's second ship was the Rose, which he joined in 
October, 1838. {Ed.) 



34 HOBART PASHA 

and deed, so we were all as happy as sand-boys. 
It was then that I began to realise a fact of which 
before I had only a notion — namely, that dis- 
cipline can be maintained without undue severity, 
to say nothing of cruelty, and that service in the 
navy could be made a pleasure as well as a duty 
to one's country. 

After visiting Rio de Janeiro, we were sent to 
the River Plate; there we remained nearly a year, 
during which time several adventures which I will 
relate occurred, both concerning my duties and 
my amusements. 

I must tell my readers that from earliest boy- 
hood I had a passionate love for shooting; and, 
through the kindness of my commanding officer * 
while at Monte Video, I was allowed constantly 
to indulge in sport. 

On one occasion my captain, who was a keen 
sportsman, took me with him out shooting. We 
had a famous day's sport, filled our game bags 
with partridges, ducks, and snipe, and were re- 
turning home on horseback when a solitary horse- 
man, a nasty-looking fellow, armed to the teeth, 
rode up to us. As I knew a little Spanish we 
began to talk about shooting, &c, &c. ; then he 
asked me to shoot a bird for him (the reason why 
he did this will be seen immediately). I didn't 
* Lieutenant Christie. (Ed.) 



PERILS BY SEA AND LAND 35 

like the cut of his jib, so rather snubbed him. 
However, he continued to ride on with us, to within 
half a mile of where our boat was waiting to take 
us on board. I must explain our relative posi- 
tions as we rode along. The captain was on my 
left, I next to him, and the man was on my right, 
riding very near to me. All of a sudden he ex- 
claimed in Spanish, " Now is the time or never," 
threw his right leg over the pommel of his saddle, 
slipped on to the ground, drew his knife, dashed 
at me, and after snatching my gun from my hand, 
stuck his knife (as he thought) into me. Then 
he rushed towards the captain, pulling the trigger 
of my gun, and pointing straight at the latter's 
head ; the gun was not loaded, having only the old 
percussion caps on. (Now I saw why he wanted 
me to fire, so that he might know whether my gun 
was loaded; but the old caps evidently deceived 
him.) 

All this was the work of a very few seconds. 
Now what was my chief doing? Seeing a row 
going on, he was dismounting; in fact, was half- 
way off his horse, only one foot in the stirrup, 
when the man made the rush at him. Finding me 
stuck to my saddle (for the ruffian's knife had 
gone through my coat and pinned me), and the 
fellow snapping my gun, which was pointed at 
him, he as coolly as possible put his gun over his 



36 HOBART PASHA 

horse's shoulder and shot the would-be murderer 
dead on the spot. Then turning to me he said 
quite calmly, " I call you to witness that that man 
intended to murder me." How differently all 
would have ended had my gun been loaded! The 
villain would have shot my chief, taken both guns, 
and galloped off, leaving me ignominiously stuck 
to my saddle. 

The audacity of this one man attacking us two 
armed sportsmen showed the immense confidence 
these prairie people feel in themselves, especially 
in their superior horsemanship. However, the fel- 
low caught a Tartar on this occasion. 

As for me, the knife had gone, as I said, through 
my loose shooting jacket just below the waist, 
through the upper part of my trousers, and so 
into the saddle, without even touching my skin. 
I have kept the knife in memory of my lucky 
escape. 

While laying at Monte Video there was on each 
side of us a French man-of-war, the officers of 
which were very amiably inclined, and many were 
the dinners and parties exchanged between us. 

In those days the interchange of our respective 
languages was very limited on both sides, so much 
so, that our frantic efforts to understand each 
other were a constant source of amusement. A 
French midshipman and myself, however, con- 



PERILS BY SEA AND LAND 37 

sidered ourselves equal to the occasion, and pro- 
fessed linguists; so on the principle that in the 
" land of the blind the one-eyed man is king," we 
were the swells of the festivities. 

I remember on one occasion, when the birthday 
of Louis Philippe was to be celebrated, my French 
midshipman friend came on board officially and 
said, " Sir, the first of the month is the feast of 
the King ; you must fire the gun." " All right," 
said we. Accordingly, we loaded our guns in the 
morning, preparatory to saluting at noon. It 
was raining heavily all the forenoon, so we had 
not removed what is called the tompions (to my 
unprofessional reader I may say that the tompion 
is a very large piece of wood made to fit into the 
muzzle, for the purpose of preventing wet from 
penetrating). To this tompion is, or used to be, 
attached a large piece of wadding, what for I 
never rightly understood. 

Now it seems that those whose duty it was to 
attend to it had neglected to take these things 
out of the guns. 

On the first gun being fired from the French ship 
we began our salute. The French ships were close 
alongside of us, one on either side. The gunner 
who fires stands with the hand-glass to mark the 
time between each discharge. On this occasion 
he began his orders thus : " Fire, port ! " then 



38 HOBART PASHA 

suddenly recollecting that the tompions were not 
removed he added, " Tompions are in, sir." No 
one moved. The gunner could not leave his work 
of marking time. Again he gave the order, 
" Fire, starboard," repeating, " Tompions are in, 
sir," and so on till half the broadside had been 
fired before the tompions had been taken out. It 
is difficult to describe the consternation on board 
the French vessels, whose decks were crowded with 
strangers (French merchants, &c), invited from 
the shore to do honor to their King's fete. These 
horrid tompions and their adjuncts went flying 
on to their decks, from which every one scampered 
in confusion. It was lucky our guns did not 
burst. 

This was a most awkward dilemma for all of 
us. I was sent on board to apologise. The 
French captain, with the courtesy of his nation, 
took the mishap most good-humoredly, begging 
me to return the tompions to my captain, as they 
had no occasion for them. So no bad feeling was 
created, though shortly after this contretemps an 
affair of so serious a nature took place, that a 
certain coldness crept in between ourselves and 
our ci-devant friends.* 

It seems that there had been of late several 

* This extraordinary incident of the tompions is a fact set 
down in naval records. (Ed.) 



PERILS BY SEA AND LAND 39 

desertions from the French vessels lying at Monte 
Video, great inducements of very high wages being 
offered by the revolutionary party in Buenos Ayrer 
for men to serve them. The French commander 
therefore determined to search all vessels leaving 
Monte Video for other ports in the River Plate — 
a somewhat arbitrary proceeding, and one certain 
to lead to misunderstanding sooner or later. 

On the occasion I refer to, a vessel which, though 
not under the English flag, had in some way or 
other obtained English protection, was leaving the 
port ; so we sent an officer and a party of armed 
men to prevent her being interfered with. I was 
of the party, which was commanded by our second 
lieutenant. Our doing this gave great offence to 
the French commander, who shortly after we had 
gone on board also sent a party of armed men, 
with positive orders to search the vessel at all 
risks. On our part we were ordered not to allow 
the vessel to be searched or interfered with. The 
French officer, a fine young fellow, came on board 
with his men and repeated his orders to Lieutenant 

C . The vessel, I may mention, was a 

schooner of perhaps a couple of hundred tons, 
about 130 feet long. We had taken possession 
of the after-part of the deck ; the French crew 
established themselves on the forepart. 

Never was there a more awkward position. The 



40 HOBART PASHA 

men on both sides loaded and cocked their muskets. 
The English and French officers stood close to one 
another. The former said, " Sir, you have no 
business here; this vessel is under English protec- 
tion. I give you five minutes to leave, or take the 
consequences." The other replied, " Sir, I am 
ordered to search the vessel, and search her I 
will." They both seemed to, and I am sure did, 
mean business ; for myself, I got close to my lieu- 
tenant and cocked a pistol, intending to shoot the 
French officer at the least show of fighting. Never- 
theless, I thought it a shockingly cruel and in- 
human thing to begin a cold-blooded fight under 
such circumstances. 

However, to obey orders is the duty of every 

man. Lieutenant C looked at his watch; 

two minutes to spare. The marines were ordered 
to prepare, and I thought at the end of the two 
minutes the deck of the little vessel would have 
been steeped in blood. Just then, in the distance, 
there appeared a boat pulling towards us at full 
speed; it seems that wiser counsels had prevailed 
between the captains of the two ships: the French 
were told to withdraw and leave the vessel in our 
hands. 

I was much amused at the cordial way in which 
the two lieutenants shook hands on receiving this 
order. There would indeed have been a fearful 



PERILS BY SEA AND LAND 41 

story to tell had it not arrived in time ; for I never 
saw determination written so strongly on men's, 
countenances as on those of both parties, so nearly, 
engaged in what must have proved a most bloody 
fight. 

After this incident cordial relations were never 
re-established between ourselves and our French 
friends ; fortunately, shortly afterwards we sailed 
for Buenos Ayres. 

Buenos Ayres, that paradise of pretty women, 
good cheer, and all that is nice to the sailor who is 
always ready for a lark ! We at once went in for 
enjoying ourselves to our heart's content; we be- 
gan, every one of us, by falling deeply in love 
before we had been there forty-eight hours — I 
say every one, because such is a fact. 

My respectable captain, who had been for many 
years living as a confirmed bachelor with his only 
relative, an old spinster sister, with whom he 
chummed, and I fancy had hardly been known to 
speak to another woman, was suddenly perceived 
walking about the street with a large bouquet in 
his hand, his hair well oiled, his coat (generally 
so loose and comfortable-looking) buttoned tight 
to show off his figure ; and then he took to sport- 
ing beautiful kid gloves, and even to dancing. He 
could not be persuaded to go on board at any 
cost, while he had never left his ship before, ex- 



42 HOBART PASHA 

cept for an occasional day's shooting. In short, 
he had fallen hopelessly in love with a buxom 
Spanish lady with lustrous eyes as black as her 
hair, the widow of a murdered governor of the 
town. 

Our first and second lieutenants followed suit ; 
both were furiously in love; and, I said, every one 
fell down and worshipped the lovely (and lovely 
they were, and no mistake) Spanish girls of 
Buenos Ayres, whose type of beauty is that which 
only the blue blood of Spain can boast of. Now, 
reader, don't be shocked, I fell in love myself, and 
my love affair proved of a more serious nature, 
at least in its results, than that of the others, be- 
cause, while the daughter (she was sixteen, and I 
seventeen) responded to my affection, her mother, 
a handsome woman of forty, chose to fall in love 
with me herself. 

This was rather a disagreeable predicament, for 
I didn't, of course, return the mother's affection 
a bit, while I was certainly dreadfully spoony on 
the daughter. 

To make a long story short, the girl and I, like 
two fools as we were, decided to run away to- 
gether, and run away we did. I should have been 
married if the mother hadn't run after us. She 
didn't object to our being married, but, in the 
meantime, she remained with us, and she managed 



PERILS BY SEA AND LAND 43 

to make the country home we had escaped to, with 
the intention of settling down there, so unbearable, 
that, luckily for me as regards my future, I con- 
trived to get away, and went as fast as I could on 
board my ship for refuge, never landing again 
during our stay at Buenos Ayres. 

Fortunately, shortly afterwards we were ordered 
away, and so ended my first love affair. 

I shall never forget the melancholy, woebegone 
faces of my captain and brother officers on our 
reassembling on board. It was really most ludi- 
crous. However, a sea voyage which included sev- 
eral sharp gales of wind soon erased all sad mem- 
ories ; things gradually brightened, and ere many 
weeks had passed all on board H.M.S. re- 
sumed their usual appearance. 



CHAPTER III 



A TRAGICAL AFFAIR 



WHILST I was at Buenos Ayres I had the 
good luck to visit the independent prov- 
ince of Paraguay, which my readers must 
have heard spoken of, sometimes with admiration, 
sometimes with sneers, as the hot-bed of Jesuitism. 
Those who sneer say that the Jesuit fathers who 
left Spain under Martin Garcia formed this colony 
in the River Plate entirely in accordance with the 
principles their egotism and love of power dictated. 
It may be so ; it is possible that the Jesuits were 
wrong in the conclusions they came to as regards 
the governing or guiding of human nature; all I 
can say is, that the perfect order reigning through- 
out the colony they had formed, the respect for 
the clergy, the cheerful obedience to laws, the 
industry and peaceful happiness one saw at every 
step, made an impression on me I have never for- 
gotten ; and when I compare it with the discord, 
the crime, and the hatred of all authority which 
is now prevailing, alas ! in most civilised countries, 
I look back to what I saw in Paraguay with a sigh 

44 



A TRAGICAL AFFAIR 45 

of regret that such things are of the past. It 
was beautiful to see the respect paid to the Church 
(the acknowledged ruler of the place), the cleanli- 
ness and comfort of the farms and villages, the 
good-will and order that prevailed amongst the 
natives. It was most interesting to visit the 
schools, where only so much learning was intro- 
duced as was considered necessary for the minds 
of the industrious population, without rendering 
them troublesome to the colony or to themselves. 
Though the inhabitants were mostly of the fiery 
and ungovernable Spanish race, who had mixed 
with the wild aborigines, it is remarkable that they 
remained quiet and submissive. 

To prevent pernicious influences reaching this 
" happy valley," the strictest regulations were 
maintained as regards strangers visiting the 
colony. 

The River Plate, which, coming down from the 
Andes through hundreds of miles of rich country, 
flows through Paraguay, was unavailable to com- 
merce owing to this law of exclusiveness, which 
prevented even the water which washed the shores 
being utilised. However, about the time I speak 
of the English government had determined, in the 
general interests of trade, to oppose this monopoly, 
and to open a way of communication up the river 
by force if necessary. The Paraguayans refused 



46 HOBART PASHA 

to accept the propositions made by the English, 
and prepared to fight for their so-called rights. 
They threw a formidable barrier across the stream, 
and made a most gallant resistance. It was on 
this occasion that Captain (now Admiral) 

H * performed the courageous action which 

covered him with renown for the rest of his life. 
The enemy had, amongst other defences, placed 
a heavy iron chain across the river. This chain 
it was absolutely necessary to remove, and the 
gallant officer I refer to, who commanded the at- 
tack squadron, set a splendid example to us all by 
dashing forward and cutting with a cold chisel 
the links of this chain. The whole time he was 
thus at work he was exposed to a tremendous fire, 
having two men killed and two wounded out of 
the six he took with him. This deed, now almost 
forgotten by the public, can never be effaced from 
the memory of those who saw it done. That the 
fight was a severe one is evident from the fact that 
the vessel I belonged to had 107 shots in her hull, 
and thirty-five out of seventy men killed and 
wounded. 

It was after we had thus forced ourselves into 
intercourse with the Paraguayans that I saw an 
instance of want of tact which struck me as most 

* Sir James Hope, at that time captain of the Firebrand. 
The cable was really cut by an assistant engineer. (Ed.) 



A TRAGICAL AFFAIR 47 

remarkable. Fighting being over, diplomacy 
stepped in, and a man of somewhat high rank in 
that service was sent to make friendly overtures 
to the authorities. Can it be believed (I do not 
say it as a sneer against diplomacy, for this 
blunder was really unique), this big man had 
scarcely finished the pipe of peace which he smoked 
with the authorities, when he proposed to intro- 
duce vaccination and tracts among the people? 
Badly as the poor fellows felt the licking they had 
received, and much as they feared another should 
they give trouble to the invaders, they so resented 
our representative's meddling that he found it bet- 
ter to beat a hasty retreat, and to send a wiser 
man in his stead. But their fate was sealed, and 
from the moment the stranger put his foot into 
this interesting country dates its entire change. 
The system that the Jesuits established was quickly 
done away with. Paraguay is now a part of the 
Argentine Republic, it is generally at war with 
some of its neighbors, and its inhabitants are poor, 
disorderly, and wretched. 

As I shall have, while telling the story of my 
life, to relate more serious events, I will, after 
recounting one more yarn, not weary my readers 
with the little uninteresting details of my youth- 
ful adventures, but pass over the next three years 
or so, at which time, after having returned to 



48 HOBART PASHA 

England, I was appointed to another ship going 
to South America, for the purpose of putting 
down the slave trade in the Brazils. The ad- 
venture to which I have referred was one that made 
a deep impression on my mind, as being of a most 
tragic nature. 

While at Rio de Janeiro we were in the habit 
of visiting among the people, attending dances, 
&c. I always remarked that the pretty young 
Brazilian girls liked dancing with the fresh young 
English sailors better than with their mud-colored 
companions of the male sex, the inhabitants of the 
country. 

At the time I write of the English were not 
liked by the Brazilians, partly on account of the 
raid we were then making on the slave trade, 
partly through the usual jealousy always felt by 
the ignorant towards the enlightened. So with 
the men we were seldom or ever on good terms, but 
with the girls somehow sailors always contrive to 
be friends. 

It was at one of the dances I have spoken of 
that the scene I am about to describe took 
place. 

Among the pretty girls who attended the ball 
was one prettier perhaps than any of her com- 
panions ; indeed, she was called the belle of Rio 
Janeiro. I will not attempt to portray her, but 



A TRAGICAL AFFAIR 49 

I must own she was far too bewitching for the 
peace of heart of her many admirers, and un- 
happily she was an unmitigated flirt in every 
sense of the word. 

Now there was a young Brazilian nobleman who 
had, as he thought, been making very successful 
progress towards winning this girl's heart — if 
she had a heart. All was progressing smoothly 
enough till these hapless English sailors arrived. 

Then, perhaps with the object of making her 
lover jealous (a very common though dangerous 
game), Mademoiselle pretended (for I presume it 
was pretence) to be immensely smitten with one of 
them — a handsome young midshipman whom we 
will call A. 

At the ball where the incident I refer to oc- 
curred, she danced once with him, twice with him, 
and was about to start with him a third time, 
when, to the astonishment of the lookers-on, of 
whom I formed part, the young Brazilian rushed 
into the middle of the room where the couple were 
standing, walked close up to them and spat in A.'s 
face. 

Before the aggressor could look round him, he 
found himself sprawling on the floor, knocked by 
the angry Briton into what is commonly called 
" a cocked hat." Not a word was spoken. A. 
wiped his face, led his partner to a seat and came 



50 HOBART PASHA 

straight to me, putting his arm in mine and lead- 
ing me into the verandah. The Brazilian picked 
himself up and came also into the verandah; in 
less time than I can write it a hostile meeting was 
settled, pistols were procured, and we (I say we, 
because I had undertaken to act as A.'s friend, 
and the Brazilian had also engaged a friend) 
sauntered into the garden as if for a stroll. 

It was a most lovely moonlight night, such a 
night as can only be seen in the tropics. 

I should mention that the chief actors in the 
coming conflict had neither of them seen twenty 
years, and we their seconds were considerably 
under that age. The aggressor, whose jealous 
fury had driven him almost to madness when he 
committed an outrageous affront on a stranger, 
was a tall, handsome, dark-complexioned young 
fellow. A. was also very good-looking, with a 
baby complexion, blue eyes and light curly hair, 
a very type of the Saxon race. 

They both looked determined and calm. After 
proceeding a short distance we found a convenient 
spot in a lovely glade. It was almost as clear as 
day, so bright was the moonlight. The distance 
was measured (fourteen paces), the pistols care- 
fully loaded. Before handing them to the princi- 
pals we made an effort at arrangement, an effort 
too contemptuously received to be insisted upon, 



A TRAGICAL AFFAIR 51 

and we saw that any attempt at reconciliation 
would be of no avail without the exchange of shots ; 
so, handing to each his weapon, we retired a short 
distance to give the signal for firing, which was 
to be done by my dropping a pocket-handkerchief. 
It was an anxious moment even for us, who were 
only lookers-on. I gave the words, one, two, three, 
and dropped the handkerchief. 

The pistols went off simultaneously. To my 
horror I saw the young Brazilian spin round and 
drop to the ground, his face downwards ; we rushed 
up to him and found that the bullet from A.'s 
pistol had gone through his brain. He was stone 
dead. 

Then the solemnity of the whole affair dawned 
on us, but there was no time for thought. Some- 
thing must be done at once, for revenge quick and 
fearful was sure to follow such a deed like light- 
ning. 

We determined to hurry A. off to his ship, and 
I begged the young Brazilian to go into the house 
and break the sad news. The poor fellow, though 
fearfully cut up, behaved like a gentleman, walk- 
ing slowly away so as to give us time to escape. 
As we passed the scene of gaiety the sounds of 
music and dancing were going on, just as when 
we left it. How little the jovial throng dreamt 
of the tragedy that had just been enacted within 



52 HOBART PASHA 

a few yards of them ; of the young life cut down 
on its threshold ! 

We got on board all right, but such a terrible 
row was made about the affair that the ship to 
which A. belonged had to go to sea the next day, 
and did not appear again at Rio de Janeiro. 

I, though not belonging to that vessel, was not 
allowed to land for many months. 



CHAPTER IV 



RIO DE JANEIRO 



ONE word about Rio de Janeiro. Rio, as 
it is generally called, is perhaps one of the 
most lovely spots in the world. The 
beautiful natural bay and harbor are unequalled 
throughout the whole universe. Still, like the 
Bosphorus, the finest effect is made by Rio de 
Janeiro when looked at from the water. In the 
days of which I write yellow fever was unknown ; 
now that fearful disease kills its thousands, aye, 
tens of thousands, yearly. The climate, though 
hot at times, is very good ; in the summer the morn- 
ings are hot to a frying heat, but the sea breeze 
comes in regularly as clockwork, and when it blows 
everything is cool and nice. Life is indeed a lazy 
existence ; there is no outdoor amusement of any 
kind to be had in the neighborhood. As to shoot- 
ing, there are only a few snipe to be found here 
and there, and while looking for these you must 
beware of snakes and other venomous reptiles, 
which abound both in the country and in town. 
I remember a terrible fright a large picnic party, 
53 



54 HOBART PASHA 

at which I assisted, was thrown into while lunch- 
ing in the garden of a villa, almost in the town 
of Rio, by a lady jumping up from her seat with 
a deadly whip-snake hanging on her dress. I 
once myself sat on an adder who put his fangs 
through the woollen stuff of my inexpressibles and 
could not escape. The same thing happened with 
the lady's dress ; in that case also we caught the 
snake, as it could not disentangle its fangs. 

In the country near Rio there are great snakes 
called the anaconda, a sort of boa-constrictor on 
a large scale. Once, while walking in the woods 
with some friends, we found a little Indian boy 
dead on the ground, one of these big snakes lying 
within a foot or so of him, also dead ; the snake 
had a poisoned arrow in its brain, which evidently 
had been shot at him by the poor little boy, whose 
blow-pipe was lying by his side. The snake must 
have struck the boy before it died, as we found a 
wound on the boy's neck. This reptile measured 
twenty-two feet in length.* 

By the way, a well-known author, Mrs. B , 

tells a marvellous story about these snakes. She 
says that they always go in pairs, have great 
affection for each other, and are prepared on all 
occasions to resent affronts offered to either of 

* The anaconda sometimes attains a length of thirty feet. 
(Ed.) 



RIO DE JANEIRO 55 

them. She narrates that a peasant once killed a 
big anaconda, and that the other, or chum snake, 
followed the man several miles to the house where 
he had taken the dead one, got in by the window, 
and crushed the destroyer of his friend to death. 
I expect that some salt is necessary to swallow 

this tale, but such is the statement Mrs. B 

makes. 

The most lovely birds and butterflies are found 
near Rio, and the finest collections in the world 
are made there. The white people are Portuguese 
by origin — not a nice lot to my fancy, though 
the ladies are as usual always nice, especially when 
young; they get old very soon through eating 
sweets and not taking exercise. There is very 
little poverty except among the free blacks, who are 
lazy and idle and somewhat vicious. I always 
have believed that the black man is an inferior 
animal — in fact, that the dark races are meant to 
be drawers of water and hewers of wood. I do 
not deny that they have souls to be saved, but I 
believe that their role in this world is to attend 
on the white man. The black is, and for years 
has been, educated on perfect equality with the 
white man, and has every chance of improving 
himself — with what result ? You could almost 
count on your fingers the names of those who have 
distinguished themselves in the battle of life. 



56 HOBART PASHA 

Sometimes, while cruising off the coast of Rio 
de Janeiro looking out for slave vessels, we passed 
a very monotonous life. The long and fearfully 
hot mornings before the sea breeze sets in, the 
still longer and choking nights with the thermom- 
eter at 108°, were trying in the extreme to those 
accustomed to the fresh air of northern climates ; 
but sailors have always something of the Mark 
Tapley about them and are generally jolly under 
all circumstances, and so it was with me. One 
day, while longing for something to do, I dis- 
covered that the crew had been ordered to paint 
the ship outside ; as a pastime I put on old clothes 
and joined the painting party. Planks were hung 
round the ship by ropes being tied to each end of 
the plank ; on these the men stood to do their 
work. We had not been employed there very long 
when there was a cry from the deck that the ship 
was surrounded by sharks. It seems that the 
butcher had killed a sheep, whose entrails, having 
been thrown overboard, attracted these fearful 
brutes round the ship in great numbers. As may 
be imagined, this report created a real panic 
among the painters, for I believe we all feared a 
shark more than an enemy armed to the teeth. I 
at once made a hurried movement to get off my 
plank. As I did so the rope at one end slipped 
off, and so threw the piece of wood, to which I 



RIO DE JANEIRO 57 

had to hang as on a rope, up and down the vessel's 
side, bringing my feet to within a very few inches 
of the water. On looking downwards I saw a 
great shark in the water, almost within snapping 
distance of my legs. I can swear that my hair 
stood on end with fear ; though I held on like grim 
death, I felt myself going, yes, going, little by 
little right into the beast's jaws. At that mo- 
ment, only just in time, a rope was thrown over 
my head from the deck above me, and I was pulled 
from my fearfully perilous position, more dead 
than alive. Now for revenge on the brutes who 
would have eaten me if they could ! It was a dead 
calm, the sharks were still swimming round the 
ship waiting for their prey. We got a lot of 
hooks with chains attached to them, on which we 
put baits of raw meat. I may as well mention 
a fact not generally known, viz., that a shark must 
turn on his back before opening his capacious 
mouth sufficiently to feed himself; when he turns 
he means business, and woe to him who is within 
reach of the man-eater's jaws. On this occasion 
what we offered them was merely a piece of meat, 
and most ravenously did they rush, turn on their 
backs, and swallow it, only to find that they were 
securely hooked, and could not bite through the 
chains that were fast to the hooks — in fact, that 
it was all up with them. Orders had been given 



58 HOBART PASHA 

by the commanding officer that the sharks were 
not to be pulled on board, partly from the danger- 
ous action of their tails and jaws even when half 
dead, partly on account of the confusion they 
make while floundering about the decks ; so we 
hauled them close to the top of the water, fired 
a bullet into their brains and cut them loose. We 
killed thirty that morning in this way, some of 
them eight to ten feet long. 

The most horrid thing I know is to see, as I 
have done on more than one occasion,* a man 
taken by a shark. You hear a fearful scream as 
the poor wretch is dragged down, and nothing 
remains to tell the dreadful tale excepting that the 
water is deeply tinged with blood on the spot where 
the unfortunate man disappeared. These raven- 
ous man-eaters scent blood from an enormous dis- 
tance, and their prominent upper fin, which is gen- 
erally out of the water as they go along at a 
tremendous pace, may be seen at a great distance, 
and they can swim at the rate of a mile a minute. 
A shark somewhat reminds me of the torpedo of 
the present day, and in my humble opinion is much 
more dangerous. 

Once we caught a large shark. On opening 

* The reader may be pardoned for accepting this state- 
ment in the same way that Hobart took "Mrs. B 's" 

snake story — cum grano salis. {Ed.) 



RIO DE JANEIRO 59 

him we found in his inside a watch and chain quite 
perfect. Could it have been that some poor wretch 
had been swallowed and digested, and the watch 
only remained as being indigestible? 

It is strange to see the contempt with which the 
black man treats a shark, the more especially when 
he has to do with him in shallow water. A negro 
takes a large knife and diving under the shark 
cuts its bowels open. If the water is deep the shark 
can go lower down than the man and so save him- 
self, and if the nigger don't take care it will eat 
him; thus the black man never goes into deep 
water if he can help it, for he is always expecting 
a shark. 



CHAPTER V 



SLAVER HUNTING 



SHORTLY after the duel at Rio I went to 
England, but to be again immediately ap- 
pointed to a vessel on the Brazilian sta- 
tion.* 

It was at the time when philanthropists of 
Europe were crying aloud for the abolition of 
the African slave trade, never taking for a mo- 
ment into consideration the fact that the state of 
the savage African black population was infinitely 
bettered by their being conveyed out of the misery 
and barbarism of their own country, introduced 
to civilization, given opportunities of embracing 
religion, and taught that to kill and eat each other 
was not to be considered as the principal pastime 
among human beings. 

At the period I allude to (from 1841 to 1845) 
the slave trade was carried out on a large scale 
between the coast of Africa and South America; 
and a most lucrative trade it was, if the poor devils 
of negroes could be safely conveyed alive from one 
coast to the other. I say if, because the risk of 
*The Dolphin. (Ed.) 
W 



SLAVER HUNTING 61 

capture was so great that the poor wretches, men, 
women, and children, were packed like herrings 
in the holds of the fast little sailing vessels em- 
ployed, and to such a fearful extent was this pack- 
ing carried on that, even if the vessels were not 
captured, more than half the number of blacks 
embarked died from suffocation or disease before 
arriving at their destination, yet that half was 
sufficient to pay handsomely those engaged in 
trade. 

On this point I propose giving examples and 
proofs hereafter, merely remarking, en passant, 
that had the negroes been brought over in vessels 
that were not liable to be chased and captured, 
the owners of such vessels would naturally, con- 
sidering the great value of their cargo, have taken 
precautions against overcrowding and disease. 

Now, let us inquire as to the origin of these poor 
wretched Africans becoming slaves, and of their 
being sold to the white man. It was, briefly speak- 
ing, in this wise. On a war taking place between, 
two tribes in Africa, a thing of daily occurrence, 
naturally many prisoners were made on both sides. 
Of these prisoners those who were not tender 
enough to be made into ragout were taken down 
to the sea-coast and sold to the slave-dealers, who 
had wooden barracks established ready for their 
reception. 



62 HOBART PASHA 

Into these barracks, men, women, and children, 
most of whom were kept in irons to prevent escape, 
were bundled like cattle, there to await embarka- 
tion on board the vessels that would convey them 
across the sea. 

Now, as the coast was closely watched on the 
African side, to prevent the embarkation of slaves, 
as it was on the Brazilian side, to prevent their 
being landed, the poor wretches were frequently 
waiting for weeks on the seashore undergoing every 
species of torment. 

At last the vessel to carry off a portion of them 
arrived, when they were rushed on board and 
thrown into the hold regardless of sex, like bags 
of sand, and the slaver started on her voyage for 
the Brazils. Perhaps while on her way she was 
chased by an English cruiser, in which case, so it 
has often been known to happen, a part of the 
living cargo would be thrown overboard, trusting 
that the horror of leaving human beings to be 
drowned would compel the officers of the English 
cruiser to slacken their speed while picking the 
poor wretches up, and thus give the slaver a better 
chance of escape. (This I have seen done myself, 
fortunately unavailingly. ) 

I will now ask the reader to bring his thoughts 
back to the coast of Brazil, where a good look-out 
was being kept for such vessels as I have men- 



SLAVER HUNTING 63 

tioned as leaving the African coast with live cargo 
on board bound for the Brazilian waters. Rio^ 
de Janeiro, the capital of Brazil, was the head- 
quarters of the principal slave-owners. It was 
there that all arrangements were made regarding 
the traffic in slaves, the despatch of the vessels 
in which they were to be conveyed, the points on 
which they were to land, &c, and it was at Rio 
that the slave vessels made their rendezvous before 
and after their voyages. It was there also that 
the spies on whose information we acted were to 
be found, and double-faced scoundrels they were, 
often giving information which caused the cap- 
ture of a small vessel with few slaves on board, 
while the larger vessel, with twice the number, was 
landing her cargo unmolested. 

As for myself, I was at the time of life when 
enterprise was necessary for my existence, and so 
keenly did I join in the slave-hunting mania that 
I found it dangerous to land in the town of Rio 
for fear of assassination. 

My captain, seeing how enthusiastic I was in 
the cause, which promised prize-money if not re- 
nown, encouraged me by placing me in a position 
that, as a humble midshipman, I was scarcely en- 
titled to, gave me his confidence, and thus made 
me still more zealous to do something, if only to 
show my gratitude. 



64 HOBART PASHA 

Having picked up all the information possible 
as regarded the movements of the slave vessels, 
we started on a cruise, our minds set particularly 
on the capture of a celebrated craft called the 
Lightning, a vessel renowned for her great success 
as a slave ship, whose captain declared (this made 
our mission still more exciting) that he would 
show fight, especially if attacked by English men- 
of-war boats when away from the protection of 
their ships. 

I must mention that it was the custom of the 
cruisers on the coast of Brazil to send their boats 
on detached service, they (the boats) going in one 
direction while the vessels they belonged to went 
in another, only communicating every two or three 
days. Proud indeed for me was the moment when, 
arriving near to the spot on the coast where the 
Lightning was daily expected with her live cargo, 
I left my ship in command of three boats, viz., a 
ten-oared cutter and two four-oared whale boats. 
I had with me in all nineteen men, well armed and 
prepared, as I imagined, for every emergency. 
The night we left our ship we anchored late under 
the shelter of a small island, and all hands being 
tired from a long row in a hot sun, I let my men 
go to sleep during the short tropical darkness. 
As soon as the day was breaking all hands were 
alert, and we saw with delight a beautiful rakish- 



SLAVER HUNTING 65 

looking brig, crammed with slaves, close to the 
island behind which we had taken shelter, steering 
for a creek on the mainland a short distance from 
us. I ought to mention that the island in ques- 
tion was within four miles of this creek. We im- 
mediately prepared for action, and while serving 
out to each man his store of cartridges, I found 
to my horror that the percussion tubes and caps 
for the boat's gun, the muskets and pistols, had 
been left on board the ship. What was to be 
done? no use swearing at anybody. However, 
we pulled boldly out from under the shelter of the 
island, thinking to intimidate the slaver into heav- 
ing to. In this we were grievously mistaken. 

The vessel with her men standing ready at their 
guns seemed to put on a defiant air as she sailed 
majestically past us, and although we managed 
with lucifer matches to fire the boat's gun once or 
twice, she treated us with sublime contempt and 
went on her way into the creek, at the rate of six 
or seven miles an hour. Though difficult to attack 
the vessel in the day time without firearms, I de- 
termined if possible not to lose altogether this 
splendid brig. I waited therefore till after sun- 
set, and then pulled silently into the creek with 
muffled oars. There was our friend securely 
lashed to the rocks. We dashed on board with 
drawn cutlasses, anticipating an obstinate resist- 



66 HOBART PASHA 

ance. We got possession of the deck in no time, 
but on looking round for some one to fight with, 
saw nothing but a small black boy who, having 
been roused up from a sort of dog-kennel in which 
he had been sleeping, first looked astonished and 
then burst out laughing, pointing as he did so to 
the shore. Yes, the shore to which the slaver 
brig was lashed was the spot where seven hundred 
slaves (or nearly that number, for we found three 
or four half-dead negroes in the hold) and the 
crew had all gone, and left us lamenting our bad 
luck. However, I took possession of the vessel 
as she lay, and though threatened day and night 
by the natives, who kept up a constant fire from 
the neighboring heights and seemed preparing to 
board us, maintained our hold upon the craft until 
the happy arrival of my ship, which, with a few 
rounds of grape, soon cleared the neighborhood of 
our assailants. I may mention that, in the event 
of our having been boarded, we had prepared a 
warm reception for our enemies in the shape of 
buckets of boiling oil mixed with lime, which would 
have been poured on their devoted heads while in 
the act of climbing up the side. As they kept, 
however, at a respectful distance, our remedy was 
not tried. The vessel, a splendid brig of 400 tons, 
was then pulled off her rocky bed, and I was sent 
in charge of her to Rio de Janeiro. And now 



SLAVER HUNTING 67 

comes the strangest part of my adventures on this 
occasion. 

On the early morning after I had parted com- 
pany with my commanding officer, before the 
dawn, I ran accidentally right into a schooner 
loaded with slaves, also coming from Africa, 
bound to the same place as had been the brig, my 
prize. 

Without the slightest hesitation, before the 
shock and surprise caused by the collision had 
given time for reflection or resistance, I took pos- 
session of this vessel, put the crew in irons, and 
hoisted English colors. There were 460 Africans 
on board, and what a sight it was! 

The schooner had been eighty-five days at sea. 
They were short of water and provisions ; three 
distinct diseases — namely, small-pox, ophthalmia, 
and diarrhoea in its worst form — had broken out, 
while coming across, among the poor doomed 
wretches. 

On opening the hold we saw a mass of arms, 
legs, and bodies all crushed together. Many of 
the bodies to whom these limbs belonged were dead 
or dying. In fact, when we had made some sort 
of clearance among them we found in that fearful 
hold eleven dead bodies lying among the living 
freight. " Water ! water ! " was the cry. Many 
of them as soon as free jumped into the sea, partly 



68 HOBART PASHA 

from the delirious state they were in, partly be- 
cause they had been told that, if taken by the 
English, they would be tortured and eaten. The 
latter practice I fancy they were accustomed to 
seeing, but the former they had a wholesome dread 
of. 

Can Mrs. Beecher Stowe beat this? It is, I 
can assure my readers, a very mild description 
of what I saw on board the first cargo of slaves 
I made the acquaintance of, and by which I was 
so deeply impressed, that I have ever since been 
sceptical of the benefits conferred upon the African 
race by our blockade — at all events, of the means 
employed to abolish slavery. 

The strangest thing amid this confusion of 
horrors was that children were constantly being 
born. In fact, just after I got on board, an un- 
fortunate creature was delivered of a child close 
to where I was standing, and jumped into the sea, 
baby and all, immediately afterwards. She was 
saved with much difficulty ; the more so, as she 
seemed to particularly object to being rescued 
from what nearly proved a watery grave. 

After this unusual stroke of good luck, sending 
a prize crew on board my new capture, and allow- 
ing the slaver's crew to escape in the schooner's 
boat, as I considered these lawless ruffians an im- 
pediment to my movements, I proceeded on my 



SLAVER HUNTING 69 

voyage, and arrived safely in Rio harbor with my 
two prizes. 

There I handed my live cargo over to the Eng- 
lish authorities, who had a special large and roomy 
vessel lying in the harbor for the reception of the 
now free niggers. 

It would be as well perhaps to state what be- 
came of the freed blacks. First of all they were 
cleaned, clothed (after a fashion), and fed; then 
they were sent to an English colony, such for ex- 
ample as Demerara, where they had to serve seven 
years as apprentices (something, I must admit, 
very like slavery), after which they were free for 
ever and all. I fear they generally used their 
freedom in a way that made them a public nuisance 
wherever they were. However, they were free, and 
that satisfied the philanthropists. 



CHAPTER VI 

slaver hunting (continued). 

NOW to return to my " experiences." As 
proud as the young sportsman when he has 
killed his first stag, I returned, keen as 
mustard, to my ship, which I found still cruising 
near to where I had left her. Some secret in- 
formation that I had received while at Rio led me 
to ask my captain to again send me away with a 
force similar to that which I had under me be- 
fore (with percussion caps this time), and allow 
me to station myself some fifty miles further down 
the coast. My request was granted, and away 
I went. This time, instead of taking shelter under 
an island, I ensconced my little force behind a 
point of land which enabled me by mounting on 
the rocks to sweep the horizon with a spy-glass, 
so that I could discover any vessel approaching 
the land while she was yet at a considerable dis- 
tance. 

There happened to be a large coffee plantation 
in my immediate neighborhood, and I remarked 
that the inhabitants favored us with the darkest 
70 



SLAVER HUNTING 71 

of scowls whenever we met thern. This made me 
believe (and I wasn't far out) that the slave vessel 
I was looking out for was bringing recruits to 
the already numerous slaves employed on the said 
plantation. Two or three mornings after my 
arrival, I discovered a sail on the very far horizon ; 
a vessel evidently bound to the immediate neighbor- 
hood I had chosen as my look-out place. The 
winds were baffling and light, as usual in the morn- 
ing in these latitudes, where, however, there is 
always a sea breeze in the afternoon. So, being 
in no hurry, I sauntered about the shore with my 
double-barrelled gun in my hand, occasionally 
taking a look seaward. Suddenly I saw within 
a hundred yards of me a man leading two enormous 
dogs in a leash. The dogs were of a breed well 
known among slave-owners, as they were trained 
to run down runaway slaves. I believe the land 
of their origin is Cuba, as they are called Cuban 
bloodhounds. 

Suspecting nothing I continued my lounge, 
turning my back on the man and his dogs. A 
few minutes afterwards I was startled by a rush- 
ing sound behind me. On turning quickly round 
I saw to my horror two huge dogs galloping 
straight at me. Quick as lightning I stood on 
the defensive, and when they with open mouths 
and bloodshot eyes were within five yards, I pulled 



72 HOBART PASHA 

the trigger. The gun missed fire with the first 
barrel. The second barrel luckily went off, scat- 
tering the brains of the nearest dog, the whole 
charge having entered his mouth, and gone through 
the palate into his brain. This occurrence seemed 
to check the advance of the second brute, who, 
while hesitating for a moment before coming at 
me, received a ball in his side from one of my 
sailors, who fortunately had observed what was 
going on and had come to my rescue. Without 
waiting an instant to see what had become of the 
man who had played me this murderous trick, I 
called my men together, launched the boats, and 
put out to sea. 

By this time the sea-breeze had set in, and I 
could see the vessel I had been watching, though 
still a considerable distance from the shore, was 
trimming her sails to the sea-breeze, and steering 
straight in for the very spot where I had been 
concealed. Signal after signal was made to her 
by her friends on the shore, in the shape of lighted 
fires (not much avail in the daytime) and the 
hoisting of flags, &c, but she seemed utterly to 
disregard the action of her friends. Satisfied, I 
imagine, that she had all but finished her voyage, 
seeing no cruiser and unsuspicious of boats, on she 
came.* 

* It must be understood that both men and boats were 



SLAVER HUNTING 73 

We got almost alongside of her before the people 
on board seemed to see us. When she did, evi- 
dently taken by surprise, she put her helm down, 
and throwing all her sails aback, snapped some of 
her lighter spars, thus throwing everything into 
confusion — confusion made worse by the fact 
that, with the view of immediate landing, two hun- 
dred or three hundred of the niggers had been 
freed from their confinement and were crowded on 
the deck. Taking advantage of this state of 
things we made our capture without a shot being 
fired. 

In fact everything was done, as sailors say, 
" before you could look round you," the man at 
the helm replaced by one of my men, the crew 
bundled down into the slave-hold to give them a 
taste of its horrors, and the sails trimmed for sea- 
ward instead of towards the land. The captain, 
who seemed a decent fellow, cried like a child. He 
said : " If I had seen you five minutes before you 
would never have taken me. Now I am ruined." 
I consoled him as well as I could and treated him 
well, as he really seemed half a gentleman, if not 
entirely one. I found about six hundred slaves, 
men and women and children, on board this vessel, 
who as they had made a very rapid and prosperous 

disguised so as to resemble the ordinary fishing coasters 
about those parts. 



74 HOBART PASHA 

voyage, were in a somewhat better state than those 
on board the last capture. Still goodness knows 
their state was disgusting enough. Ophthalmia 
had got a terrible hold of the poor wretches. In 
many of the cases the patient was stone blind. I 
caught this painful disease myself, and for several 
days couldn't see a yard. 

Shortly after, having despatched our prize into 
Rio in charge of a brother midshipman, we were 
joined by another man-of-war cruiser, which had 
been sent to assist us in our work. As the officer 
in command of this vessel * was of senior rank to 
my commander, he naturally took upon himself to 
organise another boat expedition, placing one of 
his own officers in command. With this expedi- 
tion I was allowed to go, taking with me my old 
boats and their crews, with orders to place myself 
under the direction of Lieutenant A. C.,** the 
officer chosen by the senior in command. 

So we started with five boats provisioned and 
otherwise prepared for a cruise of twenty days. 
The lieutenant in charge did not think it wise to 
land, as a bad feeling towards us was known to 
exist among the inhabitants, who were all more or 
less slave-dealers, or interested in the success of 
the slave-vessels, so we had to live in our boats. 

* The Frolic. (Ed.) 
** Arthur Cumming. (Ed.) 



SLAVER HUNTING 75 

Rather hard lines, sleeping on the boat's thwarts, 
&c. Still we had that balm of Gilead, hope, to 
keep us alive, and our good spirits. Many a long- 
ing eye did I cast to the shore, where, in spite of 
the bloodhounds, I should like to have stretched 
my cramped limbs. Ten or twelve days passed in 
dodging about, doing nothing but keeping a good 
look-out, and we almost began to despair, when 
one fine morning we saw a large brig, evidently a 
slaver, running in towards the shore with a fresh 
breeze. Our boats were painted like fishing boats, 
and our men disguised as fishermen, as usual; so, 
apparently occupied with our pretended business, 
we gradually approached the slave vessel. My 
orders were strictly to follow the movements or 
action of my superior. Then I witnessed a gallant 
act, such as I have not seen surpassed during forty 
years of active service that I have gone through 
since that time. Lieutenant A. C, who was in 
the leading boat, a large twelve-oared cutter, 
edged pretty near to the advancing vessel, and 
when quite close under her bows one man seemed 
to me to spring like a chamois on board. I saw 
the boat from which the man jumped make an in- 
effectual attempt to get alongside the vessel, that 
was going at the rate of six miles an hour, and 
then drop astern. I heard a pistol shot, and sud- 
denly the vessel was thrown up in the wind with 



76 HOBART PASHA 

all her sails aback, thus entirely stopping her way 
(sailors will understand this). Not knowing pre- 
cisely what had happened, we pulled like maniacs 
alongside of the slaver. To do this was, now 
that the vessel's way was stopped, comparatively 
easy. We dashed on board, and after a slight 
resistance on the part of the slaver's crew, in which 
two or three more men, myself among the number, 
were wounded, we took possession of the brig. 
There we found our lieutenant standing calmly at 
the helm, which was a long wooden tiller. He it 
was who had jumped on board alone, shot the man 
at the helm, put the said helm down with his leg, 
while in his hand he held his other pistol, with 
which he threatened to shoot any one who dared 
to touch him. 

I fancy that his cool pluck had caused a panic 
among the undisciplined crew, a panic that our 
rapid approach tended much to increase. What 
astonished me was that nobody on board thought 
of shooting him before he got to the helm, in which 
case we never could have got on board the vessel, 
considering the speed she was going through the 
water. What he did was a glorious piece of pluck, 
that in these days would have been rewarded with 
the Victoria Cross as the least recompense they 
could have given to so gallant an officer. Poor 
fellow all the reward he got, beyond the intense 



SLAVER HUNTING 77 

admiration of those who saw him, was a bad attack 
of small-pox from the diseased animals (there is 
no other name for negroes in the state they were 
in) on board the slave vessel, which somewhat in- 
jured the face of one of the handsomest men I ever 
saw. He is now an admiral, has done many gal- 
gant acts since then, but none could beat what he 
did on that memorable morning. 

I have said that I was among those who were 
wounded on this occasion. What my friend A. C. 
did so far outshone anything that I had accom- 
plished, that it is hardly worth while speaking of 
my share in the fray. However, as I am writing 
sketches from my life, I will not omit to describe 
the way in which I was wounded. We were, as I 
have said, making a rush to assist our gallant 
leader, who was alone on board the slaver. The 
reader will have seen that our business was board- 
ing and fighting our enemy hand to hand. As I 
was making a jump on board I saw the white of 
the eye of a great black man turned on me ; he 
brandished a huge axe, which I had a sort of pre- 
sentiment was intended for me. I sprang as it 
were straight at my destiny, for as I grasped the 
gunnel down came the axe, and I received the full 
edge of the beastly thing across the back of my 
hand. I fell into the water, but was picked up by 
my sailors, and managed to get on board again. 



78 HOBART PASHA 

Had it not been for a clever young assistant sur- 
geon, who bound up the wound in a most scientific 
manner, I should probably have quite lost the use 
of my hand ; the mark remains across my knuckles 
to this day.* 

* An Edinburgh reviewer declares that Hobart was not 
present when this incident occurred , but that he was familiar 
with the country, intimate with Lieutenant Cumming, and 
no doubt got the story from that officer's own lips. For an 
explanation of this queer mental twist, see the Introduction. 
(Ed.) 



CHAPTER VII 



LOVE AND MURDER 



I WAS once sent from Rio to Demerara, an 
English colony on the coast of Brazil, with a 
cargo of blacks that we had freed. Then it 
was that I had a good opportunity of studying 
the character of these people certainly in their 
primitive state, and if ever men and women re- 
sembled wild animals it was my swarthy charges. 
When I arrived at Demerara I handed them over 
to their new masters, to whom they were appren- 
ticed for seven years, and from all I can under- 
stand they were, during their apprenticeship, 
treated pretty much as slaves in every respect. 

During the time I visited Demerara (and I 
fancy it is very slightly changed now) it was one 
of the vilest holes in creation. It is built on a 
low sandy point of land at the entrance of a great 
river, and is almost the hottest place on the earth. 
Mosquitoes in thousands of millions ; nothing for 
the natives to do but to cultivate sugar-canes and 
to perspire. There were two crack regiments 
quartered at Demerara, who, having to withstand 

79 



80 HOBART PASHA 

the dreadful monotony of doing nothing, took, I 
fear, to living rather too well; the consequence 
was that many a fine fellow had been carried off 
by yellow fever. For my part, I took a rather 
high flight in the way of pastime by falling (as I 
imagined) desperately in love with the governor's 
daughter. The governor, I must tell my readers, 
was a very great swell, a general, a K.C.B., &c, 
and his daughter was a mighty pretty girl, much 
run after by the garrison ; so it was thought great 
impertinence on my part, as a humble sublieuten- 
ant, to presume to make love to the reigning, if 
not the only, beauty in the place. 

However, audacity carried me on, and I soon 
became No. 1 in the young lady's estimation. I 
used to ride with her, spent the evenings in the 
balcony of Government House with her, sent her 
flowers every morning, and so on, till at last people 
began to talk, and steps were taken by her nu- 
merous admirers to stop my wild career. This 
was done in a somewhat startling way (premedi- 
tated, as I found out afterwards). One evening 
I was playing at whist, one of my opponents being 
a momentarily discarded lover of my young lady. 
I thought he was looking very distrait ; however, 
things went off quietly enough for some time, till 
on some trifling question arising concerning the 
rules of the game, the young man suddenly and 



LOVE AND MURDER 81 

quite gratuitously insulted me most grossly, end- 
ing his insolent conduct by throwing his cards in 
my face. This was more than I could put up 
with, so I called him out, and the next morning 
put a ball into his ankle, which prevented him 
dancing for a long time to come. He, being the 
best dancer in the colony, was rather severely 
punished; it seems that he had undertaken to bell 
the cat, hardly expecting such unpleasant results. 

On returning home after the hostile meeting I 
found a much more formidable adversary in the 
shape of the governor himself, who was stamping 
furiously up and down the verandah of my apart- 
ment. He received me with, " What do you mean, 
young sir, by making love to my daughter ? You 
are a mere boy." (I was twenty and did not rel- 
ish his remark.) "What means have you got?" 

After the old gentleman's steam had gone down 
a little I replied, " Really, general, I hardly know 
how to answer you. Your daughter and I are 
very good friends, the place is most detestably 
dull, there is nothing to do, and if we amuse our- 
selves with a little love-making, surely there can 
be no great harm." This rejoinder of mine made 
things worse; I thought the old boy would have 
had a fit. At last he said, " The mail steamer 
leaves for England to-morrow; you shall go home 
by her ; I order you to do so ! " I replied that I 



82 HOBART PASHA 

should please myself, and that I was not under his 
orders. The general went away uttering threats. 
After he was gone I thought seriously over the 
matter. I calculated that my income of 120Z. a 
year would scarcely suffice to keep a wife, and I 
decided to renounce my dream of love. I went to 
pay a farewell visit to my young lady, but found 
that she was locked up, so away I went and soon 
forgot all about it. Shortly afterwards I heard 
that the governor's daughter married the man 
whose leg I had lamed for his impertinence to 
me. 

My last adventure while employed in the sup- 
pression of the slave trade is perhaps worth de- 
scribing. 

By international law it was ruled that a vessel 
on her way to Africa, if fitted out in a certain man- 
ner, whereby it was evident that she was employed 
in the nefarious traffic of slavery, was liable to 
capture and condemnation by the mixed tribunals, 
or in other words became the lawful prize of her 
captors. 

While cruising off Pernambuco we boarded a 
Portuguese vessel bound to Africa, so evidently fit- 
ted out for the purpose of slave trade that my 
captain took possession of her, and sent me to 
convey her to the Cape of Good Hope for adjudi- 
cation. It was the usual thing to send the cap- 



LOVE AND MURDER 83 

tain of a vessel so captured as a prisoner on board 
his ship, so that he might be interrogated at the 
trial. In this case the master and three of his 
crew were sent. The prize crew consisted of my- 
self and six men. Now the captain was an ex- 
ceedingly gentlemanlike man, a good sailor, and 
a first-rate navigator. 

At first I treated him as a prisoner, but by de- 
grees he insinuated himself into my good graces to 
such an extent that after a while I invited him to 
mess with me ; in fact, made a friend of him, little 
thinking of the serpent I was nourishing. 

For several days all went well. I was as unsus- 
picious as a child of foul play. We lived together 
and worked our daily navigation together, played 
at cards together, in fact were quite chums. The 
three men who were supposed to be prisoners were 
allowed considerable liberty, and as they had, as 
I found out afterwards, a private stock of grog 
stowed away somewhere, which they occasionally 
produced and gave to my men, they managed to be 
pretty free to do as they wished. For all that, I 
ordered that the three prisoners should be confined 
below during the night. 

As the weather was very hot I always slept in 
a little place on deck called a bunk, a thing more 
like a dog-kennel than aught else I can compare it 
to, excepting that the hole for entrance and exit 



84 HOBART PASHA 

was somewhat larger than that generally used for 
the canine species. 

I always slept with a pistol (revolvers were un- 
known in those days) under my pillow. Luckily 
for me that I did so, as the result will show. 

I had remarked (this I thought of afterwards) 
that the prisoner captain and some of his men had 
been whispering together a good deal lately ; but 
not being in the slightest degree suspicious I 
thought nothing of it. 

One evening I retired to my sleeping place as 
usual, after having passed a pleasant chatty even- 
ing with my prisoner. I was settling myself to 
sleep, in fact I think I was asleep as far as it would 
be called so, for I had from habit the custom of 
sleeping with one eye open, when I saw or felt the 
flash of a knife over my head. The entrance to 
my couch was very limited, so that my would-be 
murderer had some difficulty in striking the fatal 
blow. Instinct at once showed me my danger. 

To draw my pistol from under my pillow was 
the work of a second ; to fire it into the body of the 
man who was trying to stab me, that of another. 
A groan and a heavy fall on the deck told me 
what had happened, and springing out of my sleep- 
ing berth I found my ci-devant friend the captain 
lying on his face, dead as a door nail. In the mean- 
time I heard a row in the fore-parf of the ship. 



LOVE AND MURDER 85 

On going forward I saw one of the prisoners in the 
act of falling overboard, and another extended full 
length on the deck, while my stalwart quarter- 
master was flourishing a handspike with which he 
had knocked one of his assailants overboard and 
floored the other. Now it will be asked what was 
the man at the wheel doing? Hereby hangs a 
tale. He swore that he heard or saw nothing. 
Considering this sufficient evidence of his guilt, I 
put him in irons. Shortly afterwards he confessed 
the whole story. It seems that a conspiracy had 
been planned among the prisoners to retake the 
ship — that the man at the wheel had been bribed 
to let free two of the prisoners, under promise of 
a large reward if the result had been the retaking 
of the ship. 

The only provision he made was that he was to 
take no murderous action against his countrymen. 
The man at the helm and the quarter-master being 
the only men on deck, and I being gone to roost, 
all seemed easy enough, but Providence willed it 
otherwise. 

I buried the captain in the sea without further 
ceremony; the man who fell overboard I suppose 
was drowned (I did not try to pick him up) ; the 
man knocked down was put in irons, and all went 
smoothly for the rest of the voyage ; but when I 
arrived at the Cape of Good Hope without the 



86 HOBART PASHA 

captain, the lawyers who defended the ship wanted 
to make out that I had murdered him, and I was 
very nearly sent to prison on the charge of murder. 

In the above pages I have endeavored to give 
some notion of what used to go on in old times 
when there were no steam launches, and when, I 
may be forgiven for saying it, sailors were in 
every sense of the word sailors. 

I could recount many more adventures some- 
what similar to those I have described, but I do 
not wish to bore my readers or appear egotistical 
in their eyes. The only comparison I would make 
in regard to our doings in those days is with the 
work done by the blockading squadron during the 
civil war in America ; for if ever men required 
plucky endurance and self-denial it was the poor 
fellows who had to keep, or endeavor to keep, 
blockade-runners if not slavers from communicat- 
ing with the stormy shores of Florida and South 
Carolina. They are too modest now to tell us 
what they went through. Perhaps forty years 
hence they will do as I am doing, and recount some 
of their adventures, which I am convinced would 
quite put into the shade anything I or my boat's 
crew ever did. 

I do not wish to be mistaken in my remarks 
about the black race. I will not venture to give 
an opinion as to what Providence meant to be done 



LOVE AND MURDER 87 

with those interesting creatures. I only assert, 
and this I do from my own personal experience, 
that a black man is a happier and wiser man in 
America than he is in his own wretched country, 
North and South. 



CHAPTER VIII 



THE QUEEN'S YACHT 



I RETURNED from the Cape to England. 
On arriving there I was appointed to the 
Queen's yacht, as a reward for what their 
lordships at the Admiralty were good enough to 
designate my active and zealous services while em- 
ployed in suppression of the slave trade. 

To be appointed to Her Majesty's yacht was 
in those days considered a very great distinction. 
Even now the Queen invariably chooses officers 
who have seen what is called " service." Such an 
appointment, apart from the honor of being so 
near Her Majesty, always tends to rapid promo- 
tion. 

The Queen at the time I write of was very fond 
of cruising in her yacht, paying visits to foreign 
potentates, &c. Her Majesty had been then five 
years married, with a young family springing up 
around her, and her beloved husband, the Prince 
Consort, always with her, participating in all her 
pleasures ; so we, the officers of the Royal yacht, 
had a rare time of it, were made a lot of wherever 
88 



THE QUEEN'S YACHT 89 

we went, and thought ourselves very great men 
indeed. Amongst other trips, we conveyed the 
Royal family up the Rhine, where Her Majesty 
visited the King of Prussia at Stolzenfels. 

Afterwards we went to the Chateau d'Eu, where 
Her Majesty was received by King Louis Philippe 
and the Reine Amelie. 

I shall never forget the condescending kindness 
of Her Majesty and Prince Albert to all on board 
the Royal yacht. As to the Prince Consort, he 
treated the officers more in the light of companions 
than subordinates, always ready to join us in a 
cigar and its accompanying friendly conversation. 

Apropos of smoking, I cannot refrain from men- 
tioning a little incident that happened on board 
the Victoria and Albert, that I, for one, shall 
never forget. Her Gracious Majesty never ap- 
proved of smoking, and it was only through the 
kind consideration of the Prince Consort that we 
were allowed to indulge in an occasional cigar in 
the cow-house. The cow-house was a little place 
fitted up for two pretty small Alderney cows, kept 
specially for supplying milk and butter for the 
Royal table. 

Her Majesty was very fond of these animals 
and had the habit of visiting them every day, and 
the young Princess used to be held up to look in 
at the window, out of which there was room for 



90 HOBART PASHA 

the favored cows to stretch their heads. One 
evening we were smoking as usual when I espied a 
pot of blue paint on the deck of the cow-house, 
with, as bad luck would have it, a brush in the 
pot. I cannot say what induced me, but I de- 
liberately took the brush and painted the tips of 
the noses and the horns of both animals a pretty 
light blue. Having done this I thought no more 
of the matter. The next morning Her Majesty 
— well, I think I had better say no more about it. 
I, the culprit, was denounced and had to keep out 
of the way for a day or two. Then it was that 
the good-natured Prince proved himself a friend, 
and got me out of my scrape. 

I passed two of the happiest years of my life in 
the Queen's yacht, after which I was promoted to 
the rank of lieutenant,* and appointed to a ship 
in the Mediterranean,** where I passed for several 
years the usual humdrum life of a naval officer 
during times of profound peace. 

However, while serving as a lieutenant in the 
Mediterranean, I had the advantage of taking part 
in one of the most interesting political events of 
the century, namely, the flight of Pius IX. from 

* September, 1845. (Ed.) 
**The Battler, Captain H. Smith. He then served for 
about three years in the Mediterranean as lieutenant of the 
Bulldog, Commander Key. (Ed.) 



THE QUEEN'S YACHT 91 

Rome. The ship I was in was stationed at Civita 
Vecchia, the sea-port of Rome, partly in order to 
protect British interests — that is, the persons and 
properties of British subjects — partly with the 
object of taking that half-hearted part in religious 
politics which has always been such a humiliating 
role for England. 

We had an accredited agent, a nondescript sort 
of person, representing England at the court of 
Pope Pius IX. This gentleman's duty was to 
watch and report, but not to act. It was through 
him that England's idea of the policy to be pur- 
sued by the Pope was conveyed. We did not, and 
we did, want to interfere. The question of the 
balance of power of Italy as^ an independent nation 
was too important to neglect; it was impossible 
to separate altogether religion and politics. How- 
ever, at the time I write of things were rushing to 
a crisis. 

The Pope, who a short time previously had 
been considered the great supporter of liberty, was 
now looked upon as its enemy. Garibaldi was, in 
a mad sort of way, fighting in its cause — at least, 
he professed to do so. He had marched with a 
band of howling volunteers to the gates of Rome, 
and established himself there as its conqueror, 
virtually making the Pope a prisoner in the Vati- 
can. In the meantime France interfered in the 



92 HOBART PASHA 

Pope's cause, and sent General Oudinot with a 
small army to dislodge Garibaldi. England's 
doubtful diplomatic relations made it necessary to 
choose every sort of means of communicating with 
the Pope, and I had the honor on more than one 
occasion of being the messenger chosen to com- 
municate, not only with His Holiness, but between 
Garibaldi and the French commander. On the 
first occasion I was sent to Rome with despatches 
from Lord Palmerston to be delivered (so said my 
orders) into the Pope's own hands. 

On my arrival at Rome I went straight to the 
Quirinal and asked to see Cardinal Antonelli. 
When I informed him of my instructions, he said 
at once, " You may give your despatches to me ; 
you cannot expect to see His Holiness." " No, 
sir ; to the Pope I will give my despatches, or take 
them back again,", and from this decision no per- 
suasions or threats would move me. Finding me 
obstinate the Cardinal at last took me with him 
into a room where the Pope was sitting. His Holi- 
ness seemed in a great state of anxiety, but was 
most kind and condescending. He gave me his 
hand to kiss, and congratulated me on having been 
so firm in obeying orders in relation to my de- 
spatches. I afterwards found that these de- 
spatches influenced very much the important step 
taken by Pio Nono a few days afterwards. 



THE QUEEN'S YACHT 93 

Subsequently I several times conveyed communi- 
cations between General Garibaldi and General 
Oudinot. The former had most pluckily taken 
possession of an important position inside the walls 
of Rome, and it was a hard piece of work to dis- 
lodge him. 

I used to gallop in between General Oudinot's 
camp and Garibaldi's head-quarters, having on 
my arm a red scarf for a sign that I was not a 
belligerent. My scarf was not much use, however, 
as I was generally fired at all the time that I was 
passing the space between the French camp and 
Garibaldi's head-quarters in Rome. 

I was amused by the audacity with which Gari- 
baldi resisted the French army. I fancy he 
wanted to delay matters so that the Pope should 
be induced to take the ill-advised step of leaving 
Rome, and in this the republican general succeeded. 
What went on in Rome, the way in which the Pope 
escaped, &c, I am not able to relate. All I know 
is that one fine morning a simple carriage arrived 
from Rome at Civita Vecchia, bringing a portly 
individual enveloped in the large cloak of an Eng- 
lish coachman, and another man in ordinary ap- 
parel. They strolled down to the place of em- 
barkation, and went quietly on board, not (as was 
expected) the English man-of-war, but a French 
vessel-of-war which was lying with her steam up. 



94 HOBART PASHA 

This vessel then left the harbor, almost un- 
noticed, and it was not for hours afterwards that 
we heard that His Holiness Pius IX. was the 
humble-looking person who had embarked before 
our eyes, and thus got away safely to Gaeta. 



CHAPTER IX 



IN THE BALTIC 



IN 1854 the war (commonly called the Crimean 
war) broke out, and I was appointed first 

lieutenant of H.M.S. * for service in the 

Baltic. 

I shall never forget the excitement among us 
all when, after so many years of inactivity, we 
were called upon to defend the honor of our 
country. Unfortunately for old England the 
Baltic fleet was put under the command of Sir 

C. N ,** " fighting old Charley " as he was 

called, though it was not long before we discovered 
that there was not much fight left in him. It might 
well be said by those generously inclined towards 
him, in the words of the old song, that the 

Bullets and- the gout 

Had so knocked his hull about, 

That he'd never more be fit for sea. 

A finer fleet never sailed or steamed from Spit- 
head than that destined for the Baltic in 1854. 

* The Bulldog. (Ed.) 
'■* Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Napier. (Ed.) 
95 



96 HOBART PASHA 

The signal from its commander, " Lads, war is de- 
clared! Sharpen your cutlasses and the day's 
your own," sent a thrill of joy through every 
breast. After following the melting ice up the 
Baltic Sea to within almost reach of the guns of 
Cronstadt, we waited till the ice had disappeared, 
and then went in as we thought for the attack. 

The ship to which I belonged being a steamer, 
and drawing much less water than the line-of -battle 
ships, led the way. A grander sight could not be 
conceived than that of twenty splendid line-of- 
battle ships, formed in two lines, steaming straight 
up to the frowning batteries of Cronstadt. On 
our approaching the batteries a shot was fired, 
and fell alongside the ship I was in, which, as I 
said, was leading for the purpose of sounding, 
when, to our astonishment and disgust, the signal 
was made from the flag-ship- to the fleet " Stop ! " 
and immediately afterwards* to " anchor." 

It is not for me to say " the reason why." All 
that I can vouch for is that, in the general opinion 
of competent judges, had we gone on we could 
have taken or destroyed Cronstadt, instead of 
which — what was done? They sent to England 
for special boats to be made ready for the next 
summer, when the attack would be made on Cron- 
stadt. 

We remained a few days at anchor off that place, 



IN THE BALTIC 97 

when some half of the fleet were detached to the 
Aland Islands, where an insignificant fort called 
Bomarsund was to be attacked — not by the Eng- 
lish and French fleets, who were fit to do any mortal 
thing, but by an army fetched from France. When 
the army came, the poor little fort attacked by the 
fleet on the seaside, and on the shore by the soldiers, 
after firing a few shots surrendered. During the 
attack I was appointed acting commander of 

H.M.S. ,* and was mentioned honorably in 

despatches. 

Many promotions were made for the taking of 
Bomarsund, but I fancy I had as usual given my 
opinion too freely, as I was left out in the cold. 
I shall never forget old Charley's answer to me 
when I applied for my promotion, it was so worthy 
of him. He said, " Don't ye come crying to me, 
Sir; you are a lord's son: I'll have nothing to 
do wi' ye." 

Immediately after the capture of Bomarsund, 
the Admiral detached a small squadron under Cap- 
tain S to reconnoitre the Russian port of 

Abo. Of that squadron the vessel of which I was 
commander formed one. We left with sealed 
orders, which were not to be opened until we ar- 
rived at, or near to, our destination. 

On sighting the enemy's port we perceived that 
*The Driver. (Ed.) 



98 HOBART PASHA 

every preparation was being made to give us a 
warm reception. A council of war was held on 
board the senior officer's ship, at which council the 
sealed orders were opened, when to our disgust it 
was found within that we were ordered " not to 
fight, merely to reconnoitre." 

Sickening humiliation ! There were the Russian 
gunboats inside the bar of the harbor of Abo, firing 
at us with all their might. The forts on the 
heights, such as they were, very insignificant 
temporary batteries of field-pieces, had commenced 
to get the range of the ships ; but as we were not 
to fight, we took a sulky shot or two at the enemy 
and retired. 

To this day I cannot understand the policy that 
actuated this weak, vaciDating conduct on the part 
of our chief. But some idea may be given of his 
fighting notions by the following occurrence, of 
which I was a witness. 

One morning despatches arrived from England. 
A signal was made from the flag-ship * for com- 
manding officers to repair on board that vessel. 
On our arrival there, we were asked to sit down 
to breakfast. Our chief, who was opening his 
letters, suddenly threw a despatch over the table 

to S , the admiral of the fleet, saying, " What 

would ye do, mun, if ye received a letter like this ? " 
* The Duke of Wellington. (Ed.) 



IN THE BALTIC 99 

S , after reading the letter said, " If I re- 
ceived a letter like that, I'd attack Revel or Svea- 
borg if I lost half my fleet." Our chief's answer 
I shall never forget. It was : " I haven't got 

nerve to do it, and I'm sure C hasn't." There 

are many living besides myself who can vouch for 
the accuracy of this statement. 

I shall say no more of the doings of the Eng- 
lish fleet in the Baltic during that year. Suffice 
it, that if ever open mutiny was displayed — not 
by the crews of the ships, but by many of the 
captains, men who attained the highest rank in 
their profession — it was during the cruise in the 
Baltic in 1854: and no wonder. 

Many gallant deeds were performed by single 
ships, but the fleet did absolutely nothing, except 
help to capture Bomarsund. I returned to Eng- 
land disgusted and disheartened. The next year 
the commander-in-chief was changed ; I was ap- 
pointed to his ship, and we went again to the Baltic, 
taking with us all the necessary appurtenances for 
bombarding forts and attacking the enemy's coast. 

As soon as the melting of the ice permitted we 
arrived off Cronstadt, and found that the Russians 
had not been asleep during our absence in the 
winter months ; for they had defended the ap- 
proaches to that place to such an extent, that an 
attack was considered (and on this occasion there 



100 HOBART PASHA 

was no difference of opinion) most unadvisable. 
So we fell back on Sveaborg, which place was bom- 
barded by the combined fleets, I venture to think 
most successfully, and I believe, had we had a 
force to land, we could have taken possession of 
that large and important fortress. 

Our losses during the operation were small on 
board the squadron of mortar-boats which I had 
the good luck to command — some fifty-eight men 
hors de combat. 

In this service I received my promotion to the 
rank of commander, and returned to England. 

Peace was made between Russia and England, 
previous to which, however, I was appointed to a 
vessel in the Mediterranean which formed part of 
the fleet off Sebastopol. Unfortunately, I arrived 
too late to see much active service there. 

While serving as a commander in the Mediter- 
ranean, I was principally under the command of 
Sir Wm. M ,* a man whose reputation as be- 
ing the smartest officer in the navy, I must venture 
to say, I think was greatly exaggerated, though 
he was doubtless what is called a " smart officer." 

His idea was to rule with a rod of iron, and 

never to encourage anyone by praising zealous and 

active service. He used to say, " I am here to find 

fault with, not to praise, officers under my com- 

*Sir William Martin. (Ed.) 



IN THE BALTIC 101 

mand." So many a fine fellow's zeal was damped 
by knowing that no encouragement would follow 
in the way of appreciation from his chief, however 
much he might have merited it. 

I cannot refrain from recounting a very amus- 
ing incident that occurred in connection with my 

command of H.M.S. F . I may mention that, 

differing as I did most materially with the system 
of discipline followed by the commander-in-chief, 
I was no favorite of his. 

One day, however, I was somewhat surprised at 
being ordered to prepare for the official inspection 
of my ship, and by no less a person than Sir W. 

M himself. I must mention that one of the 

crotchets of the chief was that vessels such as 
mine — namely, a gunboat of the first class — 
could be floated off the shore, in case of their 
stranding, by water-casks being lashed round them. 
So orders were given that all vessels of that class 
were to lumber their decks with water-casks. I 
did so, according to orders ; but, not having the 
least confidence in the manner in which the com- 
mander-in-chief proposed to employ them, I uti- 
lised them, as will be seen presently, for an entirely 
different purpose. 

The day of my ship's inspection was evidently 
not one of my lucky days. To begin with, a horrid 
little monkey belonging to the crew — amusing 



102 HOBART PASHA 

himself running about in the hammock-nettings 
near to the gangway over which the great man 
had to pass — seeing something he thought un- 
usual, made a rush as the commander-in-chief was 
stepping on board, stooped down, and deliberately 
took the cocked hat off his head, dropped it into 
the sea, then started up the rigging chattering with 
delight at the mischief he had done. The cocked 
hat was at once recovered, wiped dry, and placed 
in its proper place. The admiral, always stern 
as a matter of principle, looked, after this incident, 
sterner than usual, hardly recognised me except 
by a formal bow, then proceeded to muster the 
officers and crew. This over, he commenced to 
walk round the deck. I remarked with pleasure 
his countenance change when he saw how neatly 
his pet water-casks were painted and lashed to the 
inner gunnel of the ship. He said quite gra- 
ciously, " I am glad to see, Captain Hobart, that 
you pay such attention to my orders." I began 
to think I was mistaken in my idea of the man ; 
but, alas ! for my exuberance of spirits and satisfac- 
tion, while the admiral was closely examining one 
of his pet casks, his face came almost in contact 
with the opening of the barrel, when, to his and my 
horror, a pretty little spaniel put out his head 
and licked the great man on the nose. 

I shall never forget the admiral's countenance; 



IN THE BALTIC 103 

he turned blue with anger, drew himself up, ordered 
his boat to be manned, and walked over the side not 
saying a word to anyone. 

The facts which led to this untoward occurrence 
were that, seeing the necessity of having my decks 
crowded with what I considered useless lumber, in 
the form of water-casks, I had utilised them by 
making them into dog-kennels. The admiral hated 
dogs, hated sport of all kind, and, after what oc- 
curred, I fancy hated me. Well, I didn't love him ; 
I never saw him again. 

The very next day I was ordered to the coast of 
Syria: just what I wanted, i.e., to be out of the 
commander-in-chief's way, and to have some good 
shooting. 



CHAPTER X 

BLOCKADE-RUNNING 

ON receiving my rank as post-captain, I 
found myself shelved, as it were, for four 
years, while waiting my turn for a com- 
mand. This was according to the rules of the 
navy, so there was no getting out of it. What 
was I to do? I consulted several of my friends 
who were in a similar position, and, like myself, 
did not wish to remain idle so long, so we looked 
about us for some enterprise, as something to do. 
The upshot of it was that we thought of trying 
if we could not conceive some plan for breaking 
through the much-talked-of blockade of the South- 
ern States of America, then in revolt against the 
government at Washington. Four of us young 
post-captains took this decision, and as it would 
have been, perhaps, considered infra dig. for real 
naval officers to engage in such an enterprise, we 
lent our minds, if not our bodies, to certain alter 
egos, whom we inspired, if we did not personally 
control, as to their line of conduct. My man I 
will call Roberts, whose adventures I now give, 
104 



BLOCKADE-RUNNING 105 

and in whose name I shall write. There are people 
who insist that I was Captain Roberts ; all that 
such people have to do is to prove I was that 
" miscreant," whoever he may have been. The 
following is his narrative: — 

During the late civil war in America the ex- 
ecutive government undertook the blockade of more 
than 3,000 miles of coast, and though nothing 
could exceed the energy and activity of the naval 
officers so employed, the results were very unsatis- 
factory, inasmuch as it was not till absolute pos- 
session was taken of the forts at the entrance of 
the great harbors, such as Charleston, Mobile, and 
Wilmington, that blockade-running was stopped. 

I trust that our American friends will not be 
too severe in their censures on those engaged in 
blockade-running; for, I say it with the greatest 
respect for and admiration of enterprise, had they 
been lookers-on instead of principals in the sad 
drama that was enacted, they would have been the 
very men to take the lead. It must be borne in 
mind that the excitement of fighting did not exist. 
One was always either running away or being de- 
liberately pitched into by the broadsides of the 
American cruisers, the slightest resistance to which 
would have constituted piracy ; whereas capture 
without resistance merely entailed confiscation of 
cargo and vessel. 



106 HOBART PASHA 

The vessel I had charge of * — which I had 
brought out from England, was one of the finest 
double-screw steamers that had ever been built by 

D n; of 400 tons burden, 250 horse-power, 

180 feet long, and 22 feet beam — and was, so far 
as sea-going qualities, speed, &c, as handy a little 
craft as ever floated. Our crew consisted of a 
captain, three officers, three engineers, and twenty- 
eight men, including firemen, that is, ten seamen 
and eighteen firemen. They were all Englishmen, 
and as they received very high wages, we managed 
to have picked men. In fact, the men-of-war on 
the West India station found it a difficult matter 
to prevent their crews from deserting, so great was 
the temptation offered by the blockade-runners. 

I will begin by explaining how we prepared the 
vessel for the work. This was done by reducing 
her spars to a light pair of lower masts, without 
any yards across them ; the only break in their 
sharp outline being a small crow's-nest on the fore- 
mast, to be used as a look-out place. The hull, 
which showed about eight feet above water, was 
painted a dull grey color to render her as nearly as 
possible invisible in the night. The boats were 
lowered square with the gunnels. Coal was taken 
on board of a smokeless nature (anthracite). The 

* The Don; one of the first twin propeller steamers ever 
built. (Ed.) 



BLOCKADE-RUNNING 107 

funnel, being what is called " telescope," lowered 
close down to the deck. In order that no noise 
might be made, steam was blown off under water. 
In fact, every ruse was resorted to, to enable the 
vessel to evade the vigilance of the American 
cruisers, who were scattered about in great numbers 
all the way between Bermuda and Wilmington — 
the port at the time I write of most frequented 
by blockade-runners. While speaking of the pre- 
cautions used I may mention that among the fowls 
taken on board as provisions, no cocks were al- 
lowed, for fear of their proclaiming the where- 
abouts of the blockade-runner. This may seem 
ridiculous, but it was very necessary. 

The distance from Bermuda to Wilmington (the 
port we were bound to) is 720 miles. We started 
in the evening. For the first twenty-four hours 
we saw nothing to alarm us, but at daylight the 
second day there was a large American cruiser not 
half a mile from us, right ahead, which, before we 
could turn round, steamed straight at us, and com- 
menced firing rapidly, but very much at random, 
the shot and shell all passing over or wide of us. 

Fortunately, according to orders to have full 
steam on at daybreak, we were quite prepared for 
a run ; and still more fortunately a heavy squall of 
wind and rain that came on helped us vastly, as 
we were dead to windward of the enemy ; and hav- 



108 HOBART PASHA 

ing no top-weights we soon dropped him astern. 
He most foolishly kept yawing, to fire his bow- 
chasers, losing ground every time he did so. By 
eight o'clock we were out of range — unhit ; and 
by noon out of sight of anything but smoke. 

Luckily, the chase had not taken us much off 
our course, as the consumption of coal during a 
run of this sort, with boilers all but bursting from 
high pressure of steam, was a most serious con- 
sideration — there being no coal in the Confederate 
ports, where wood only was used, which would not 
suit our furnaces. 

We were now evidently in very dangerous waters, 
steamers being reported from our mast-head every 
hour, and we had to keep moving about in all 
directions to avoid them ; sometimes stopping to 
let one pass ahead of us, at another time turning 
completely round, and running back on our course. 
Luckily, we were never seen or chased. Night 
came on, and I had hoped that we should have 
made rapid progress till daybreak unmolested. 
All was quiet until about one o'clock in the morn- 
ing, when suddenly, to our dismay, we found a 
steamer close alongside of us. How she had got 
there without our knowledge is a mystery to me 
even now. However, there she was, and we had 
hardly seen her before a stentorian voice howled 
out, " Heave-to in that steamer, or I'll sink you." 



BLOCKADE-RUNNING 109 

It seemed as if all was over, but I determined to 
try a ruse before giving the little craft up. So 
I answered, " Ay, ay, sir, we are stopped." The 
cruiser was about eighty yards from us. We 
heard orders given to man and arm the quarter- 
boats, we saw the boats lowered into the water, 
we saw them coming, we heard the crews laughing 
and cheering at the prospect of their prize. The 
bowmen had just touched the sides of our vessel 
with their boat-hooks when I whispered down the 
tube into the engine-room, " Full speed ahead ! " 
and away we shot into the darkness. 

I don't know what happened ; whether the cap- 
tain of the man-of-war thought that his boats had 
taken possession, and thus did not try to stop us, 
or whether he stopped to pick up his boats in the 
rather nasty sea that was running; some one who 
reads this may know. All I can say is, that not 
a shot was fired, and that in less than a minute 
the pitch darkness hid the cruiser from our view. 
This was a great piece of luck. 

All the next day we passed in dodging about, 
avoiding the cruisers as best we could, but always 
approaching our post. 

During the day we got good observations with 
which our sounding agreed ; and at sunset our 
position was sixty miles due east of the entrance 
to Wilmington river, off which place were cruising 



110 HOBART PASHA 

a strong squadron of blockading 1 ships. The 
American blockading squadron, which had under- 
taken the almost impossible task of stopping all 
traffic along 3,000 miles of coast, consisted of 
nearly a hundred vessels of different sorts and 
size — bond-fide men-of-war, captured blockade- 
runners, unemployed steam-packets, with many 
other vessels pressed into government service. 
Speed and sufficient strength to carry a long gun 
were the only requisites, the Confederate men-of- 
war being few and far between. These vessels 
were generally well commanded and officered, but 
badly manned. The inshore squadron off Wil- 
mington consisted of about thirty vessels, and lay 
in the form of a crescent facing the entrance to 
Cape Clear river, the centre being just out of range 
of the heavy guns mounted on Fort Fisher, the 
horns, as it were, gradually approaching the shore 
on each side ; the whole line or curve covered about 
ten miles. 

The blockade-runners had been in the habit of 
trying to get between the vessels at either ex- 
tremity ; and the coast being quite flat and danger- 
ous, without any landmark, excepting here and 
there a tree somewhat taller than others, the cruis- 
ers generally kept at a sufficient distance to allow 
of this being done. The runner would then crawl 
close along the shore, and when, as near as could 



BLOCKADE-RUNNING 111 

be judged, opposite the entrance of the river, would 
show a light on the vessel's inshore side, which was 
answered by a very indistinct light being shown on 
the beach, close to the water's edge, and another 
at the background. These two lights being got 
into a line was a proof that the opening was ar- 
rived at; the vessels then steered straight in and 
anchored under the Confederate batteries at Fort 
Fisher. More vessels were lost crawling along 
this dangerous beach than were taken by the cruis- 
ers. I have seen three burning at one time, for 
the moment a vessel struck she was set fire to, to 
prevent the blockaders getting her off when day- 
light came. 

This system of evading the cruisers, however, 
having been discovered, it was put a stop to by a 
very ingenious method, by which several vessels 
were captured and an end put to that little game. 
Of course I can only conjecture the way in which 
it was done, but it seemed to me to be thus. — At 
the extreme end of the line of blockaders lay one 
of them with a kedge anchor, down so close to the 
shore that she left but a very little space for the 
blockade-runner to pass between her and the beach. 
The captain of the runner, however, trusting to 
his vessel's speed and invisibility, dashed through 
this space, and having got by the cruiser thought 
himself safe. Poor fellow ! he was safe for a mo- 



112 HOBART PASHA 

ment, but in such a trap that his only chance of 
getting out of it was by running on shore or giv- 
ing up. For no sooner had he passed than up went 
a rocket from the cruiser who had seen the runner 
rush by, and who now moved a little further in to- 
wards the shore, so as to stop her egress by the way 
she went in ; and the other vessels closing round 
by a pre-arranged plan, the capture or destruction 
of the blockade-runner was a certainty. 

Some of the captains most pluckily ran their 
vessels on shore, and frequently succeeded in set- 
ting fire to them ; but the boats of the cruisers 
were sometimes too sharp in their movements to 
admit of this being done, and the treatment of 
those who tried to destroy their vessels was, I am 
sorry to say, very barbarous and unnecessary. 
Moreover, men who endeavored to escape by jump- 
ing overboard after the vessel was on shore were 
often fired at by grape and shell, in what seemed 
to me a very unjustifiable manner. Great allow- 
ance, however, must be made for the men-of-war's 
men, who after many hard nights of dreary watch- 
ing constantly under weigh, saw their well-earned 
prize escaping by being run on shore and set fire 
to, just as they imagined they had got possession. 
On several occasions they have been content to tow 
the empty shell of an iron vessel off the shore, her 
valuable cargo having been destroyed by fire. 



BLOCKADE-RUNNING 113 

But I have left my little craft lying as was stated 
about sixty miles from the entrance of the river. 
I had determined to try a new method of getting 
through the blockading squadron, seeing that the 
usual plan, as described above, was no longer 
feasible or, at least, advisable. I have mentioned 
that our position was well defined by observations 
and soundings, so we determined to run straight 
through the blockaders, and to take our chance. 
When it was quite dark we started steaming at 
full speed. It was extremely thick on the horizon, 
but clear overhead, with just enough wind and sea 
to prevent the little noise the engines and screws 
made being heard. Every light was out — even 
the men's pipes ; the masts were lowered on to the 

deck ; and if ever a vessel was invisible the D n 

was that night. 

We passed several outlying cruisers, some un- 
pleasantly near, but still we passed them. All 
seemed going favorably, when suddenly I saw 
through my glasses the long low line of a steamer 
right ahead, lying as it were across our bows so 
close that it would have been impossible to pass to 
the right or left of her without being seen. A 
prompt order given to the engine-room (where the 
chief engineer stood to the engines) to reverse one 
engine, was as promptly obeyed, and the little craft 
spun round like a teetotum. If I had not seen 



114. HOBART PASHA 

it, I could never have believed it possible that a 
vessel would have turned so rapidly, and (although, 
perhaps, it is irrelevant to my subject) I cannot 
refrain from bearing testimony to the wonderful 
powers of turning that are given to a vessel by 
the application of Symond's turnscrews, as he loves 
to call them. On this occasion £50,000 of prop- 
erty was saved to its owners. I do not believe the 
cruiser saw us at all, and so very important to us 
was the fact that we had turned in so short a 
space, that I scarcely think we lost five yards of 
our position. Having turned we stopped to re- 
connoitre, and could still see the faint outline of 
the cruiser crawling (propelled, probably, only by 
the wind ) slowly into the darkness, leaving the way 
open to us, of which we at once took advantage. 
It was now about one o'clock in the morning; our 
lead, and an observation of a friendly star told 
us, that we were rapidly nearing the shore. But 
it was so fearfully dark, that it seemed almost hope- 
less ever to find our way to the entrance of the 
river, and no one felt comfortable. Still we 
steamed slowly on and shortly made out a small 
glimmer of a light right ahead. We eased steam 
a little, and cautiously approached. 

As we got nearer, we could make out the outline 
of a vessel lying at anchor, head to wind, and con- 
jectured that this must be the senior officer's vessel, 



BLOCKADE-RUNNING 115 

which we were told generally lay about two miles 
and a half from the river's mouth, and which was 
obliged to show some sort of light to the cruisers 
that were constantly under weight right and left 
of her. The plan of finding out this light, and 
using it as a guide to the river's entrance, being 
shortly after this time discovered, the vessel that 
carried it was moved into a different position every 
night, whereby several blockade-runners came to 
grief. 

Feeling pretty confident now of our position, 
we went on again at full speed, and made out 
clearly the line of blockaders lying to the right 
and left of the ship which showed the light; all 
excepting her being apparently under weigh. See- 
ing an opening between the vessel at anchor and 
the one on her left, we made a dash, and, thanks 
to our disguise and great speed, got through with- 
out being seen, and made the most of our way to- 
wards the land. As a strong current runs close 
inshore which is constantly changing its course, 
and there were no lights or landmarks to guide 
us, it was a matter of great difficulty to find the 
very narrow entrance to the river. 

We were now nearly out of danger from cruisers, 
who seldom ventured very close inshore in the 
vicinity of the batteries ; and our pilot, who had 
been throughout the voyage in bodily fear of an 



116 HOBART PASHA 

American prison, began to wake up, and, after 
looking well round, told us that he could make out, 
over the long line of surf, a heap of sand called 
" the mound," which was a mark for going into 
the river. 

This good news emboldened us to show a small 
light from the inshore side of the vessel; it was 
promptly answered by two lights being placed a 
short distance apart on the beach, in such a posi- 
tion that, when the two were brought into line, 
or, as the sailors call it, into one, the vessel would 
be in the channel which led into the river. This 
being done without interruption from the cruisers, 
we steamed in and anchored safely under the bat- 
teries of Fort Fisher. 

Being now perfectly safe, lights were at once lit, 
supper and grog served out ad libitum, everybody 
congratulated everybody, and a feeling of comfort 
and jollity, such as can only be experienced after 
three nights' and three days' intense anxiety, pos- 
sessed us all. On the morning breaking we counted 
twenty-five cruisers lying as near as they dared 
venture off the river's mouth, and a very pleasant 
sight it was, situated as we were. There was evi- 
dently a move among them of an unusual kind ; for 
the smaller vessels were steaming in towards the 
shore on the north side, and the ships' launches, 
with guns in their bows, were pulling about from 



BLOCKADE-RUNNING 117 

vessel to vessel. The cause of it as day advanced 
was but too apparent. 

Just out of range of Fort Fisher's heavy artil- 
lery, on the north side of the river's entrance, a 
splendid paddle-wheel blockade-runner was lying 
on the beach, having been run on shore during the 
night to avoid capture. 

Her crew had evidently escaped to the shore, 
and a smouldering smoke showed that she had 
been set fire to, and that a little wind was all that 
was necessary to make the flames break out. The 
blockading ships do not appear to have been aware 
of the damage they had done till daylight discov- 
ered the vessel that they probably thought had 
either got into the river or escaped to sea, lying 
on the beach. However, they were not slow in 
making preparations for capturing her, if pos- 
sible. 

Meanwhile, two of the crew of the blockade- 
runner managed to get on board of her, and setting 
her on fire in a dozen different places, everything 
in the vessel was soon destroyed, and her red-hot 
sides made boarding an impossibility. 

So the gunboats retired out of range, and the 
artillery with the Whitworth guns returned to Fort 
Fisher. The shell of this vessel lay for months on 
the beach and was by no means a bad mark for 
the blockade-runners to steer by. 



118 HOBART PASHA 

Having witnessed this little bit of excitement 
and received on board the crew of the stranded 
vessel, we took a pilot and steamed up the Cape 
Clear river to Wilmington. 

It will be difficult to erase from my memory the 
excitement of the evening we made our little craft 
fast alongside the quay at Wilmington ; the con- 
gratulations we received, the eagerness with which 
we gave and received news, the many questions we 
asked, such as, " How long shall we be unloading? " 
" Was our cargo of cotton ready? " " How many 
bales could we carry? " " How other blockade- 
runners had fared ? " &c. ; and the visits from 
thirsty and hungry Southerners of all ranks and 
denominations, many of whom had not tasted 
alcohol in any form for months, to whom whatever 
they liked to eat or drink was freely given, accom- 
panied by congratulations on all sides. All these 
things, combined with the delightful feeling of se- 
curity from capture, and the glorious prospect of a 
good night's rest in a four-poster, wound one up 
into an inexpressible state of jollity. After break- 
fast we lounged down to the quays on the river- 
side, which were piled mountains high with cotton- 
bales and tobacco tierces, and mixed in the lively 
and busy scene of discharging, selling, and ship- 
ping cargoes. 



CHAPTER XI 



EXCITING ADVENTURES 



I MAY now, I trust, without appearing egotis- 
tical, digress slightly from the narrative to 
give an account of how I managed with my 
own private venture, which I had personally to 
attend to ; for it is scarcely necessary to mentior 
that in blockade-running every one must look after 
himself. If he does not his labor will have been 
in vain. 

Before leaving England I had met a Southern 
lady, who, on my inquiring as to what was most 
needed by her compatriots in the beleaguered 
States, replied curtly : " Corsages, sir, I reckon." 
So I determined to buy a lot of the articles she 
referred to, and on arriving at Glasgow (the port 
from which we originally started) I visited an em- 
porium that seemed to contain everything in the 
world ; and I astonished a young fellow behind the 
counter by asking for a thousand pairs of stays. 
Such an unusual request sent him off like a rocket 
to higher authority, with whom I made a bargain 
for the article required at one shilling and a penny 
119 



120 HOBART PASHA 

per pair, to be delivered the next day. At the 
same time I bought five hundred boxes of Cockle's 
pills, and a quantity of toothbrushes. Well, here 
I was in Wilmington, with all these valuables on 
my hands ; the corsages were all right, but the 
horrid little Cockles were bursting their casements 
and tumbling about my cabin in all directions. 
I was anxious, with the usual gallantry of my 
cloth, to supply the wants of the ladies first. The 
only specimens of the sex that I could see moving 
about were colored women, who were so little en- 
cumbered with dress that I began to think I was 
mistaken in the article recommended by my lady 
friend as being the most required out here. After 
waiting some time, and no one coming to bid for 
my ware, I was meditating putting up on the ship's 
side a large board with the name of the article of 
ladies' dress written on it — a pillbox for a crest, 
and toothbrushes as supporters — when an indi- 
vidual came on board and inquired whether I 
wished " to trade." I greedily seized upon him, 
took him into my retreat, and made him swallow 
three glasses of brandy in succession, after which 
we commenced business. 

I will not trouble my reader with the way in 
which we traded ; regarding the corsages, suffice it 
to say that he bought them all at what seemed to 
me the enormous price of twelve shillings each, 



EXCITING ADVENTURES 121 

giving me a profit of nearly eleven hundred per 
cent. 

On my asking where the fair wearers of the 
article he had bought could be seen, he told me 
that all the ladies had gone into the interior. I 
hope they found my importations useful ; they cer- 
tainly were not ornamental. 

Elated as I was by my success, I did not forget 
the Cockles, and gently insinuated to my now some- 
what excited friend that we might do a little more 
trading. To my disgust he told me that he had 
never heard of such a thing as Cockle's pills. I 
strongly urged him to try half-a-dozen, assuring 
him that if he once experienced their invigorating 
effects he would never cease to recommend them. 
But the ignorant fellow didn't seem to see it ; for, 
finishing his brandy and buttoning up his pockets, 
he walked on shore. I never thought of naming 
toothbrushes, for what could a man who had never 
heard of Cockles know of the luxury of tooth- 
brushes? So I sat quietly down, and began to 
sum up my profits on the corsages. 

I was deeply engaged in this occupation when 
I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder. Turning 
round I saw my friend the trader, who, after hav- 
ing smothered my boot in tobacco-juice, said, " I 
say, captain, have you got any coffin-screws on 
trade? " His question rather staggered me, but 



122 HOBART PASHA 

he explained that they had no possible way of mak- 
ing this necessary article in the Southern States, 
and that they positively could not keep the bodies 
quiet in their coffins without them, especially when 
being sent any distance for interment. As I had 
no acquaintance, I am happy to say, with the sort 
of thing he wanted, it was agreed upon between us 
that I should send to England for a quantity, he, 
on his part, promising an enormous profit on their 
being delivered. 

I cannot help remarking on the very great in- 
convenience and distress that were entailed on the 
South through the lack of almost every descrip- 
tion of manufacture. The Southern States, hav- 
ing always been the producing portion of the 
Union, had trusted to the North and to Europe 
for its manufactures. Thus, when they were shut 
out by land and by sea from the outer world, their 
raw material was of but little service to them. 
This fact tended, more than is generally believed, 
to weaken the Southern people in the glorious 
struggle they made for what they called and be- 
lieved to be their rights, — a struggle, the horrors 
of which are only half understood by those who 
were not eye-witnesses of it. Whether the cause 
was good, whether armed secession was justifiable 
or not, is a matter regarding which opinions differ. 
But it is undeniable that all fought and endured 



EXCITING ADVENTURES 123 

in a manner worthy of a good and a just cause, 
and many were thoroughly and conscientiously 
convinced it was so. Such men as Lee, Stonewall 
Jackson, and others would never have joined any 
cause against their convictions ; but it won't do for 
a blockade-runner to attempt to moralise. So to 
return to my story. 

My readers will be desirous of knowing what 
was the result of my speculation in Cockles and 
toothbrushes. Regarding the former, I am sorry 
to say that all my endeavors to induce my South- 
ern friends to try their efficacious powers were of 
no avail, so I determined to take them with me to 
Nassau (if I could get there), thinking that I 
might find a market at a place where every one was 
bilious from over eating and drinking, on the 
strength of the fortunes they were making by 
blockade-running; and there I found an enterpris- 
ing druggist who gave me two chests of lucifer 
matches in exchange for my Cockles, which matches 
I ultimately sold in the Confederacy at a very fair 
profit. My toothbrushes being not in the slight- 
est degree appreciated at Wilmington, I sent them 
to Richmond, where they were sold at about seven 
times their cost. 

So ended my speculation. The vessel's cargo 
consisted of blankets, shoes, Manchester goods of 
all sorts, and some mysterious cases marked " hard- 



124. HOBART PASHA 

ware," about which no one asked any questions, 
but which the military authorities took possession 
of. This cargo was landed, and preparations 
made for taking on board the paying article in 
this trade, namely, cotton. 

I never bought it in any quantity, but I know 
that the price in the Southern States averaged from 
twopence to threepence a pound, the price in Liver- 
pool at that time being about half-a-crown. 

We were anxious to try the luck of our run- 
out before the moon got powerful, so the cargo was 
shipped as quickly as possible. In the first place, 
the hold was stored by expert stevedores, the cot- 
ton-bales being so closely packed that a mouse 
could hardly find room to hide itself among them. 
The hatches were put on, and a tier of bales put 
fore and aft in every available spot on the deck, 
leaving openings for the approaches to the cabins, 
engine-room, and the men's forecastle ; then another 
somewhat thinner tier on the top of that, after 
which a few bales for the captain and officers, 
those uncontrollable rascals whom the poor agents 
could not manage, and the cargo was complete. 
Loaded in this way, the vessel with only her fore- 
mast up, with her bow-funnel, and grey-painted 
sides, looked more like a huge bale of cotton with 
a stick placed upright at one end of it, than any- 
thing else I can think of. One bale for , and 



EXCITING ADVENTURES 125 

still one more for (I never tell tales out of 

school), and all was ready. 

We left the quay at Wilmington cheered by the 
hurrahs of our brother blockade-runners, who were 
taking in and discharging their cargoes, and 
steamed a short distance down the river, when we 
were boarded to be searched and smoked. This 
latter extraordinary proceeding, called for perhaps 
by the existing state of affairs, took me altogether 
aback. That a smoking apparatus should be ap- 
plied to a cargo of cotton seemed almost astound- 
ing. But so it was ordered, the object being to 
search for runaways, and, strange to say, its effi- 
cacy was apparent, when, after an hour or more's 
application of the process (which was by no means 
a gentle one), an unfortunate wretch, crushed 
almost to death by the closeness of his hiding-place, 
poked with a long stick till his ribs must have 
been like touchwood, and smoked the color of a 
backwood Indian, was dragged by the heels into 
the daylight, ignominiously put into irons, and 
hurled into the guard-boat. This discovery nearly 
caused the detention of the vessel on suspicion of 
our being the accomplices of the runaway ; but 
after some deliberation, we were allowed to go on. 

Having steamed down the river a distance of 
about twenty miles, we anchored at two o'clock in 
the afternoon near its mouth. We were hidden by 



126 HOBART PASHi* 

Fort Fisher from the blockading squadron lying 
off the bar, there to remain till some time after 
nightfall. After anchoring we went on shore to 
take a peep at the enemy from the batteries. Its 
commandant, a fine, dashing young Confederate 
officer, who was a firm friend to blockade-runners, 
accompanied us round the fort. We counted 
twenty-five vessels under weigh; some of them oc- 
casionally ventured within range ; but no sooner 
had one of them done so, than a shot was thrown 
so unpleasantly near that she at once moved out 
again. 

We were much struck with the weakness of Fort 
Fisher, which, with a garrison of twelve hundred 
men, and only half finished, could have been easily 
taken at any time since the war began by a resolute 
body of five thousand men making a night attack. 
It is true that at the time of its capture it was 
somewhat stronger than at the time I visited it, 
but even then its garrison was comparatively small, 
and its defences unfinished. I fancy the bold front 
so long shown by its occupiers had much to do with 
the fact that such an attack was not attempted 
till just before the close of the war. The time 
chosen for our starting was eleven o'clock, at which 
hour the tide was at its highest on the bar at the 
entrance of the river. Fortunately the moon set 
about ten, and as it was very cloudy, we had every 



EXCITING ADVENTURES 127 

reason to expect a pitchdark night. There were 
two or three causes that made one rather more 
nervous on this occasion than when leaving Ber- 
muda. 

In the first place, five minutes after we had 
crossed the bar, we should be in the thick of the' 
blockaders, who always closed nearer in on the very 
dark nights. Secondly, our cargo of cotton was 
of more importance than the goods we had carried 
in ; and thirdly, it was the thing to do to make the 
double trip in and out safely. There were also 
all manner of reports of the new plans that had 
been arranged by a zealous commodore lately sent 
from New York to catch us all. However, it was 
of no use canvassing these questions, so at a quarter 
to eleven we weighed anchor and steamed down 
to the entrance of the river. 

Very faint lights, which could not be seen far 
at sea, were set on the beach in the same position 
as I have before described, having been thus placed 
for a vessel coming in ; and bringing these astern 
in an exact line, that is the two into one, we knew 
that we were in the passage for going over the 
bar. The order was then given, " Full speed 
ahead," and we shot at a great speed out to sea. 

Our troubles began almost immediately ; for the 
cruisers had placed a rowing barge, which could 
not be seen by the forts, close to the entrance, to 



128 HOBART PASHA 

signalise the direction which any vessel that came 
out might take. Tins was done by rockets being 
thrown up by a designed plan from the barge. 
We had hardly cleared the bar when we saw this 
boat very near our bows, nicely placed to be run 
clean over, and as we were going about fourteen 
knots, her chance of escape would have been small 
had we been inclined to finish her. Changing the 
helm, which I did myself, a couple of spokes just 
took us clear. We passed so close that I could 
have dropped a biscuit into the boat with ease. 
I heard the crash of broken oars against our 
sides ; not a word was spoken. 

I strongly suspect every man in that boat held 
his breath till the great white avalanche of cotton, 
rushing by so unpleasantly near, had passed quite 
clear of her. 

However, they seemed very soon to have recov- 
ered themselves, for a minute had scarcely passed 
before up went a rocket, which I thought a very 
ungrateful proceeding on their part. But they 
only did their duty, and perhaps they did not know 
how nearly they had escaped being made food for 
fishes. On the rocket being thrown up, a gun was 
fired uncommonly close to us, but as we did not 
hear any shot, it may have been only a signal to 
the cruisers to keep a sharp look-out. 

We steered a mile or two near the coast, always 



EXCITING ADVENTURES 129 

edging a little to the eastward, and then shaped 
our course straight out to sea. Several guns were 
fired in the pitch-darkness very near us. (I am 
not quite sure whether some of the blockaders did 
not occasionally pepper each other.) After an 
hour's fast steaming, we felt moderately safe, and 
by the morning had a good offing. 

Daylight broke with thick, hazy weather, noth- 
ing being in sight. We went on all right till half- 
past eight o'clock, when the weather cleared up, 
and there was a large paddle-wheel cruiser (that 
we must have passed very near to in the thick 
weather) about six miles astern of us. The mo- 
ment she saw us she gave chase. After running 
for a quarter of an hour it was evident that with 
our heavy cargo on board, the cruiser had the legs 
of us, and as there was a long day before us for 
the chase, things looked badly. We moved some 
cotton aft to immerse our screws well; but still 
the cruiser was steadily decreasing her distance 
from us, when an incident of a very curious nature 
favored us for a time. 

It is mentioned in the book of sailing directions, 
that the course of the Gulf Stream (in the vicinity 
of which we knew we were) is in calm weather and 
smooth water plainly marked out by a ripple on its 
inner and outer edges. We clearly saw, about a 
mile ahead of us, a remarkable ripple, which we 



130 HOBART PASHA 

rightly, as it turned out, conjectured was that 
referred to in the book. As soon as we had 
crossed it, we steered the usual course of the cur- 
rent of the Gulf Stream, that here ran from two 
to three miles an hour. Seeing us alter our 
course, the cruiser did the same ; but she had not 
crossed the ripple on the edge of the stream, and 
the course she was now steering tended to keep 
her for some time from doing so. The result soon 
made it evident that the observations in the book 
were correct ; for until she too crossed the ripple 
into the stream, we dropped her rapidly astern, 
whereby we increased our distance to at least seven 
miles. 

It was now noon, from which time the enemy 
again began to close with us, and at five o'clock 
was not more than three miles distant. At six 
o'clock she opened a harmless fire with the Parrot 
gun in her bow, the shot falling far short of us. 
The sun set at a quarter to seven, by which time 
she had got so near that she managed to send two 
or three shots over us, and was steadily coming up. 

Luckily, as night came on, the weather became 
very cloudy, and we were on the dark side of the 
moon, now setting in the West, which occasionally 
breaking through the clouds astern of the cruiser, 
showed us all her movements, while we must have 
been very difficult to make out, though certainly 



EXCITING ADVENTURES 131 

not more than a mile off. All this time she kept 
firing away, thinking, I suppose, that she would 
frighten us into stopping. If we had gone 
straight on, we should doubtless have been caught ; 
so we altered our course two points to the east- 
ward. After steaming a short distance we stopped 
quite still, blowing off steam under water, not a 
spark or the slightest smoke showing from the fun- 
nel ; and we had the indescribable satisfaction of 
seeing our enemy steam past us, still firing ahead 
at some imaginary vessel. 

This had been a most exciting chase and a very 
narrow escape; night only saved us from a New 
York prison. All this hard running had made an 
awful hole in our coal-bunkers, and as it was neces- 
sary to keep a stock for a run off the blockaded 
Bahama Islands, we were obliged to reduce our ex- 
penditure to as small a quantity as possible. 
However we were well out to sea, and after having 
passed the line of cruisers between Wilmington 
and Bermuda, we had not much to fear till we 
approached the British possessions of Nassau and 
the adjacent islands, where two or three very fast 
American vessels were cruising, although five hun- 
dred miles from American waters. 

I am ignorant, I confess, of the laws of block- 
ade, or indeed if a law there be that allows its en- 
forcement, and penalties to be enacted, five hun- 



132 HOBART PASHA 

dred miles away from the ports blockaded. But it 
did seem strange that the men-of-war of a nation 
at peace with England should be allowed to cruise 
off her ports, to stop and examine trading vessels 
of all descriptions, to capture and send to New 
York, for adjudication, vessels on the mere sus- 
picion of their being intended blockade-runners ; 
and to chase and fire into real blockade-runners so 
near to the shore that on one occasion the shot and 
shell fell into a fishing village, and that within 
sight of an English man-of-war lying at anchor 
in the harbor of Nassau. Surely it is time that 
some well-understood laws should be made, and 
rules laid down, or such doings will sooner or later 
recoil on their authors. 

Having so little coal on board, we determined 
on making for the nearest point of the Bahama 
Islands, and luckily reached a queer little island 
called Green Turtle Quay, on the extreme north of 
the group, where was a small English colony, with- 
out being seen by the cruisers. We had not been 
there long, however, before one of them came 
sweeping round the shore, and stopped unpleas- 
antly near to us ; even though we were inside the 
rock she hovered about outside, not a mile from 1 us. 

We were a tempting bait, but a considerable 
risk to snap, and I suppose the American captain 
could not quite make up his mind to capture a 



EXCITING ADVENTURES 133 

vessel (albeit a blockade-runner piled full of cot- 
ton) lying in an English port, insignificant though 
that port might be. We had got a large white 
English ensign hoisted on a pole, thereby showing 
the nationality of the rock, should the cruiser be 
inclined to question it. After many longing looks, 
she steamed slowly away, much to our satisfac- 
tion. Coals were sent to us from Nassau the next 
day, which having been taken on board, we weighed 
anchor, keeping close to the reefs and islands all 
the way. We steamed towards that port, and ar- 
rived safely, having made the in-and-out voyage, 
including the time in unloading and loading at 
Wilmington, in sixteen days. 

To attempt to describe at length the state of 
things at this usually tranquil and unfrequented 
little spot is beyond my powers. I will only men- 
tion some of its most striking features. Nassau 
differed much from Wilmington, inasmuch as at 
the latter place there was a considerable amount of 
poverty and distress, and men's minds were 
weighted with many troubles and anxieties ; 
whereas, at Nassau, everything at the time I speak 
of was couleur de rose. Every one seemed pros- 
perous and happy. You met with calculating, 
far-seeing men who were steadily employed in 
feathering their nests, let the war in America end 
as it might ; others who, in the height of their en- 



IS* HOBAPLT PASHA 

thusiasm for the Southern cause, put their last 
farthing" into Confederate securities, anticipat- 
ing enormous profits. Some men, careless and 
thoughtless, living for the hour, were spending 
their dollars as fast as they made them, forgetting 
that they would " never see the like again." 
There were rollicking captains and officers of 
blockade-runners, and drunken swaggering crews ; 
sharpers looking out for victims ; Yankee spies ; 
and insolent worthless free niggers — all these 
combined made a most heterogeneous, though in- 
teresting, crowd. 

The inhabitants of Nassau, who, until the period 
of blockade-running, had, with some exceptions, 
subsisted on a precarious and somewhat question- 
able livelihood gained by wrecking, had their heads 
as much turned as the rest of the world. Living 
was exorbitantly dear, as can be well imagined, 
when the captain of a blockade-runner could realise 
in a month a sum as large as the Governor's 
salary. The expense of living was so great that 
the officers of the West India regiment quartered 
here had to apply for special allowance, and I 
believe their application was successful. The 
hotel, a large building, hitherto a most ruinous 
speculation, began to realise enormous profits. In 
fact, the almighty dollar was spent as freely as the 



EXCITING ADVENTURES 135 

humble cent had been before this golden era in the 
annals of Nassau. 

As we had to stay here till the time for the 
dark nights came round again, we took it easy, 
and thoroughly enjoyed all the novelty of the 
scene. Most liberal entertainment was provided 
free by our owner's agent, and altogether we found 
Nassau very jolly: so much so, that we felt almost 
sorry when " time " was called, and we had to 
prepare for another run. In fact, it was pleas- 
anter in blockade-running to look backwards than 
forwards, especially if one had been so far in good 
luck. 



CHAPTER Xn 



A VISIT TO CHARLESTON 



ALL being ready, we steamed out of Nassau 
harbor, and were soon again in perilous 
waters. We had a distant chase now and 
then — a mere child's play to us after our ex- 
perience — and on the third, evening of our voyage 
we were pretty well placed for making a run 
through the blockading squadron as soon as it 
was dark. As the moon rose at twelve o'clock, it 
was very important that we should get into port 
before she threw a light upon the subject. 

Unfortunately, we were obliged to alter our 
course or stop so often to avoid cruisers that we 
ran our time too close ; for, as we were getting 
near to the line of blockade, a splendid three- 
quarter-size moon rose, making everything as clear 
as day. Trying to pass through the line of 
vessels ahead with such a bright light shining 
would have been madness ; in fact, it was danger- 
ous to be moving about at all in such clear weather, 
so we steamed towards the land on the extreme 
left of the line of cruisers, and having made it 
out, went quite close inshore and anchored. 
136 



A VISIT TO CHARLESTON 137 

By lying as close as we dared to the beach, we 
must have had the appearance of forming part of 
the low sand-hills, which were about the height 
and color of the vessel; the wood on their tops 
forming a background which hid the small amount 
of funnel and mast that showed above the decks. 
We must have been nearly invisible, for we had 
scarcely been an hour at anchor when a gunboat 
came steaming along the shore very near to the 
beach; and while we were breathlessly watching 
her, hoping that she would go past, she dropped 
anchor alongside of us, a little outside where we 
were lying — so close that we not only heard 
every order that was given on board, but could 
almost make out the purport of the ordinary con- 
versation of the people on her decks. A pistol 
shot would have easily reached us. Our position 
was most unpleasant, to say the least of it. We 
could not stay where we were, as it only wanted 
two hours to daybreak. If we had attempted to 
weigh anchor, we must have been heard doing so. 
However, we had sufficient steam at command to 
make a run for it. So, after waiting a little to 
allow the cruiser's fires to get low, we knocked the 
pin out of the shackle of the chain on deck, and 
easing the cable down into the water, went ahead 
with one engine and astern with the other, to turn 
our vessel round head to seaward. 



138 HOBART PASHA 

Imagine our consternation when, as she turned, 
she struck the shore before coming half round (she 
had been lying with her head inshore, so now it 
was pointed along the beach, luckily in the right 
direction, i.e. lying from the cruiser). There was 
nothing left to us but to put on full speed, and 
if possible force her from the obstruction, which 
after two or three hard bumps we succeeded in 
doing. 

After steaming quite close to the beach for a 
little way, we stopped to watch the gunboat, 
which, after resting for an hour or so, weighed 
anchor and steamed along the beach in the oppo- 
site direction to the way we had been steering, and 
was soon out of sight. So we steamed a short 
distance inshore and anchored again. It would 
have been certain capture to have gone out to 
sea just before daybreak, so we made the little 
craft as invisible as possible, and remained all the 
next day, trusting to our luck not to be seen. 
And our luck favored us ; for, although we saw 
several cruisers at a distance, none noticed us, 
which seems almost miraculous. 

Thus passed Christmas Day, 1863, and an 
anxious day it was to all of us. We might have 
landed our cargo where we were lying, but it would 
have been landed in a dismal swamp, and we should 



A VISIT TO CHARLESTON 139 

have been obliged to go into Wilmington for our 
cargo of cotton. 

When night closed in we weighed anchor and 
steamed to the entrance of the river, which, from 
our position being so well defined, we had no diffi- 
culty in making out. We received a broadside 
from a savage little gunboat quite close inshore, 
her shot passing over us, and that was all. We 
got comfortably to the anchorage about half-past 
eleven o'clock, and so ended our second journey 
in. 

I determined this time to have a look at Charles- 
ton, which was then undergoing a lengthened and 
destructive siege. So, after giving over my craft 
into the hands of the owner's representatives, who 
would unload and put her cargo of cotton on 
board, I took my place in the train and, after pass- 
ing thirty-six of the most miserable hours in my 
life travelling the distance of one hundred and 
forty miles, I arrived at the capital of South 
Carolina, or rather near to that city — for the 
train, disgusted I suppose with itself, ran quietly 
off the line about two miles from the station into 
a meadow. The passengers seemed perfectly con- 
tented, and shouldering their baggage walked off 
into the town. I mechanically followed with my 
portmanteau, and in due course arrived at the 



140 HOBART PASHA 

only hotel, where I was informed I might have 
half a room. 

Acting on a hint I received from a black waiter 
that food was being devoured in the coffee-room, 
and that if I did not look out for myself I should 
have to do without that essential article for the 
rest, of the day, I hurried into the salle-a-mamger, 
where two long tables were furnished with all the 
luxuries then to be obtained in Charleston, which 
luxuries consisted of lumps of meat supposed to 
be beef, boiled Indian corn, and I think there were 
the remains of a feathered biped or two, to partake 
of which I was evidently too late. All these 
washed down with water, or coffee without sugar, 
were not very tempting; but human nature must 
be supported, so to it I set. . . . 

Having letters of introduction to some of Gen- 
eral Beauregard's staff, I made my way to head- 
quarters, where I met with the greatest courtesy 
and kindness. An orderly was sent with me to 
show me the top of the tower, a position that com- 
manded a famous view of the besieging army, the 
blockading squadron, and all the defences of the 
place. A battery had just been placed by the 
enemy (consisting of five Parrot guns of heavy 
calibre) five miles from the town, and that day 
had opened fire for the first time. At that enor- 
mous range the shell occasionally burst over or 



A VISIT TO CHARLESTON 141 

fell into the city, doing, however, little damage. 
The elevation of the guns must have been un- 
usually great. I am told that every one of them 
burst after a week's, or thereabouts, firing. Poor 
Fort Sumter was nearly silenced after many 
months' hammering, but its brave defenders re- 
mained in it to the last, and it was not till a few 
days before Charleston was abandoned that they 
gave it up. At the time I speak of the whole of 
the western beach was in the hands of the enemy, 
Battery Wagner having succumbed after one of 
the most gallant defences on record. While it re- 
mained in the hands of the Southerners it assisted 
Fort Sumter, inasmuch as from its position it kept 
the enemy at a distance, but after its capture, or 
rather destruction, the latter fort was exposed to 
a tremendous fire from ships and batteries, and its 
solid front was terribly crumbled. 

Surrounded, however, with water as it was, it 
would have been most difficult to take by assault ; 
and from what I could learn, certain destruction 
would have met any body of men who had at- 
tempted it latterly. There it stood, sulkily firing 
a shot or shell now and then, more out of defiance 
than anything else. The blockading, or rather 
bombarding, squadron was lying pretty near to it 
on the western side of the entrance to the harbor ; 
but on the east side, formidable batteries belong- 



142 HOBART PASHA 

ing to the Southerners kept them at a respectable 
distance. Blockade-running into Charleston was 
quite at an end at the time I am writing about. 
Not that I think the cruisers could have kept 
vessels from getting in, but for the reason that the 
harbor was a perfect network of torpedoes and 
infernal machines (the passage through which was 
only known to a few persons), placed by the 
Southerners to prevent the Northern fleet from 
approaching the city. 

Having had a good look at the positions of the 
attacking and defending parties, I went down from 
the tower and paid a visit to a battery where two 
Blakely guns of heavy calibre, that had lately been 
run through the blockade in the well-known Sum- 
ter (now the Gibraltar), were mounted. These 
guns threw a shot of 720 lbs. weight, and were 
certainly masterpieces of design and execution. 
Unhappily, proper instructions for loading had 
not accompanied them from England, and on the 
occasion of the first round being fired from one 
of them, the gun not being properly loaded, 
cracked at the breech, and was rendered useless ; 
the other, however, did good service, throwing shot 
with accuracy at great distances. I saw much 
that was interesting here, but more able pens than 
mine have already described fully the details of 
that long siege, where on one hand all modern ap- 



A VISIT TO CHARLESTON 143 

pliances of war that ingenuity could conceive or 
money purchase were put into the hands of brave 
and determined soldiers ; on the other hand were 
bad arms, bad powder, bad provisions, bad every- 
thing; desperate courage and unheard-of self- 
denial being all the Southerners had to depend 
upon. 

These poor Southerners never began to open 
their eyes to the hopelessness of their cause till 
Sherman's almost unopposed march showed the 
weakness of the whole country. Even strangers 
like myself were so carried away with the enthu- 
siasm of the moment, that we shut our eyes to what 
should have been clearly manifest to us. We could 
not believe that men who were fighting and endur- 
ing as these men were could ever be beaten. Some 
of their leaders must have foreseen that the catas- 
trophe was coming months before it occurred ; 
but, if they did so, they were afraid to make their 
opinion public. 

On returning to the hotel, I found it full of 
people of all classes indulging in tobacco (the only 
solace left them) in every form. It is all very 
well to say that smoking is a vile habit ; so it may 
be, when indulged in by luxurious fellows who eat 
and drink their full every day, and are rarely with- 
out a cigar or pipe in their mouths ; it may, per- 
haps, be justly said that such men abuse the use 



144 HOBART PASHA 

of the glorious narcotic supplied by Providence 
for men's consolation under difficulties. But when 
a man has hard mental and bodily work, and barely 
enough food to support nature, water being his 
only drink, then give him tobacco, and he will 
thoroughly appreciate it. Besides, it will do him 
real good. I think that at any time its use in 
moderation is harmless and often beneficial, but 
under the circumstances I speak of, it is a luxury 
without price. 

During the evening I met at the hotel a Con- 
federate naval officer who was going to attempt 
that night to carry havoc among the blockading 
squadron by means of a cigar-shaped vessel of a 
very curious description. 

This vessel was a screw steamer of sixty feet in 
length, with eight feet beam. She lay, before be- 
ing prepared for the important service on which 
she was going, with about two feet of her hull 
showing above the water, at each end of which, on 
the shoulder as it were of the cigar, was a small 
hatch or opening, just large enough to allow a 
man to pop through it: from her bows projected 
a long iron outrigger, at the end of which there 
was fixed a torpedo that would explode on coming 
into contact with a vessel's side. 

When the crew were on board, and had gone 
down into the vessel through one of the hatches 



A VISIT TO CHARLESTON 145 

above mentioned, the said hatches were firmly 
closed, and by arrangements that were made from 
the inside the vessel was sunk about six inches be- 
low the water, leaving merely a small portion of 
the funnel showing. Steam and smoke being got 
rid of below water, the vessel was invisible, torpedo 
and all being immersed. 

The officer having thus described his vessel, 
wished me good-night, and started on his perilous 
enterprise. I met him again next evening quietly 
smoking his pipe. I eagerly asked him what he 
had done, when he told me with the greatest sang- 
froid that he had gone on board his vessel with a 
crew of seven men ; that everything for a time had 
gone like clockwork ; they were all snug below with 
hatches closed, the vessel was sunk to the required 
depth, and was steadily steaming down the harbor, 
apparently perfectly water-tight, when suddenly 
the sea broke through the foremost hatch and she 
went to the bottom immediately. He said he did 
not know how he escaped. He imagined that after 
the vessel had filled he had managed to escape 
through the aperture by which the water got in ; 
all the rest of the poor fellows were drowned. 
Not that my friend seemed to think anything of 
that, for human life was very little thought of in 
those times. This vessel was afterwards got up, 
when the bodies of her crew were still in her hold. 



146 HOBART PASHA 

I imagined that the vessel contained sufficient air 
to enable her to remain under water two or three 
hours, or maybe some method was practised by 
which air could be introduced by the funnel; at 
all events, had she been successful on that night, 
she would undoubtedly have caused a good deal 
of damage and loss to the blockading squadron, 
who were constantly harassed by all sorts of in- 
fernal machines, torpedoes, fire-vessels, &c, which 
were sent out against them by ingenious Souther- 
ners, whose fertile imaginations were constantly 
conceiving some new invention. 

On the next occasion that same officer was em- 
ployed on a similar enterprise, his efforts were 
crowned with complete success. 

He started one dark night, in a submerged 
vessel of the same kind as that above described, 
and exploded the torpedo against the bows of one 
of the blockading squadron, doing so much damage 
that the vessel had to be run on shore to prevent 
her sinking. 

I must, before finishing my account of what I 
saw and did in Charleston, mention a circumstance 
that showed how little the laws of meum and tuum 
are respected during war times. The morning be- 
fore I left, I had a fancy for having my coat 
brushed and my shoes polished. So having de- 
posited these articles on a chair at the door of my 



A VISIT TO CHARLESTON 147 

room, I went to bed again to have another snooze, 
hoping to find them cleaned when I awoke. After 
an hour or so I got up to dress, and rang the bell 
several times without getting any answer. So I 
opened the door and looked out into the passage. 
To my surprise I saw an individual sitting on the 
chair on which I had put my clothes, trying on 
one of my boots. He had succeeded in getting 
it half on when it had stuck, and at the time I 
discovered him he seemed to be in a fix, inasmuch 
as he could neither get the boot off nor on. He 
was struggling violently with my poor boot, as 
if it were his personal enemy, and swearing like a 
trooper. Not wishing to increase his ire, I 
blandly insinuated that the boots were mine, on 
which he turned his wrath towards me, making 
most unpleasant remarks, which he wound up by 
saying that in these times anything that a man 
could pick up lying about was his lawful property, 
and that he was astonished at my impudence in 
asking for the boots. However, as the darned 
things would not fit him " nohow," he guessed I 
was welcome to them ; and giving a vicious tug to 
the boot to get it off, he succeeded in doing so, 
and I, picking it up with its fellow, made good my 
retreat. But where was my coat? I could not 
get an echo of an answer, where ? So I went down- 
stairs and told my piteous tale to the landlord, 



148 HOBART PASHA 

who laughed at my troubles, and told me he could 
not give me the slightest hopes of ever seeing it 
again ; but he offered to lend me a garment in 
which to travel to Wilmington, which offer I gladly 
accepted. 



CHAPTER XIII 

NEVER CAUGHT ! 

ON my return to Wilmington I found that 
my vessel was ready for sea, so I took 
charge of her, and we went down the river. 
We had to undergo the same ordeal as before 
in the way of being smoked and searched. This 
time there were no runaways discovered, but there 
was one on board for all that, who made his ap- 
pearance, almost squashed to death, after we had 
been twenty-four hours at sea. We then anchored 
under Fort Fisher, where we waited until it was 
dark, after which, when the tide was high enough 
on the bar, we made a move and were soon rushing 
out to sea at full speed. There was a considerable 
swell running, which we always considered a point 
in our favor. By the way, writing of swells puts 
me in mind of a certain " swell " I had on board 
as passenger on this occasion, who, while in Wil- 
mington, had been talking very big about " hunt- 
ing," which probably he supposed I knew nothing 
about. He used to give us long narratives of his 
own exploits in the hunting-field, and expatiated 
149 



150 HOBART PASHA 

on the excitement of flying over ditches and hedges, 
while apparently he looked upon blockade-running 
and its petty risks with sublime contempt. Soon 
after we crossed the bar on our way out a gentle 
breeze and swell began to lift the vessel up and 
down, and this motion he described as " very like 
hunting." 

Just after he had ventured this remark, a 
Yankee gunboat favored us with a broadside and 
made a dash to cut us off. This part of the fun, 
however, my friend did not seem to think at all 
" like hunting," and after having strongly urged 
me to return to the anchorage under the protect- 
ing guns of the fort, he disappeared below, and 
never talked, to me at least, about hunting again. 

But to return to my story, there was, as I said 
before, a considerable swell running outside, which 
was fortunate for us, as we ran almost into a gun- 
boat lying watching unusually close to the bar. 
It would have been useless to turn round and en- 
deavor to escape by going back, as, if we had done 
so, we should inevitably have been driven on to 
the beach, and either captured or destroyed. In 
such a predicament there was nothing for it but 
to make a dash past and take the gunboat's fire 
and its consequences. I knew we had the legs of 
her, and therefore felt more at ease in thus run- 
ning the gauntlet than I otherwise should have 



NEVER CAUGHT! 151 

done, so on we went at full speed. She fired her 
broadside at about fifty yards distance, but the 
shot all passed over us, except one that went 
through our funnel. The marines on board of her 
kept up a heavy fire of musketry as long as we 
were visible, but only slightly wounded one of our 
men. Rockets were then thrown up as signals to 
her consorts, two of which came down on us, but 
luckily made a bad guess at our position, and 
closed with us on our quarter instead of our bow. 
They also opened fire, but did us no injury. At 
the moment there was no vessel in sight ahead; 
and as we were going at a splendid pace, we soon 
reduced our dangerous companions to three or 
four shadowy forms struggling astern without a 
hope of catching us. The signaling and firing 
had, however, brought several other blockaders 
down to dispute our passage, and we found our- 
selves at one moment with a cruiser on each side 
within a pistol shot of us ; our position being that 
of the meat in a sandwich. So near were the 
cruisers, that they seemed afraid to fire, from the 
danger of hitting each other, and, thanks to our 
superior speed, we shot ahead and left them with- 
out their having fired a shot. 

Considering the heavy swell that was running, 
there was the merest chance of their hitting us ; 
in fact, to take a blockade-runner in the night, 



152 HOBART PASHA 

when there was a heavy swell or wind, if she did 
not choose to give in, was next to impossible. To 
run her down required the cruiser to have much 
superior speed, and was a dangerous game to play, 
for vessels have been known to go down themselves 
while acting that part. 

Then, again, it must be borne in mind that the 
blockade-runner had always full speed at command, 
her steam being at all times well up and every one 
on board on the look-out ; whereas the man-of-war 
must be steaming with some degree of economy and 
ease, and her look-out men had not the excitement 
to keep them always on the qui vive that we had. 

I consider that the only chances the blockading 
squadron had of capturing a blockade-runner 
were in the following instances ; viz., in a fair 
chase in daylight, when superior speed would tell, 
or chasing her on shore, or driving her in so near 
the beach that her crew were driven to set fire 
to her and make their escape ; in which case a prize 
might be made, though perhaps of no great value ; 
or frightening a vessel by guns and rockets during 
the night into giving up. Some of the blockade- 
runners showed great pluck, and stood a lot of 
pitching into. About sixty-six vessels left Eng- 
land and New York to run the blockade during 
the four years' war, of which more than forty were 
destroyed by their own crews or captured; but 



NEVER CAUGHT! 153 

most of them made several runs before they came 
to grief, and in so doing paid well for their owners. 

I once left Bermuda, shortly before the end of 
the war, in company with four others, and was the 
only fortunate vessel of the lot. Of the other 
four, three were run on shore and destroyed by 
their own crews, and one was fairly run down at 
sea and captured. 

I saw an extraordinarily plucky thing done on 
one occasion, which I cannot refrain from narrat- 
ing. We had made a successful run through the 
blockade, and were lying under Fort Fisher, when 
as daylight broke we heard a heavy firing, and as 
it got lighter we saw a blockade-runner sur- 
rounded by the cruisers. Her case seemed hope- 
less, but on she came for the entrance, hunted like 
a rabbit by no end of vessels. The guns of the 
fort were at once manned, ready to protect her as 
soon as her pursuers should come within range. 
Every effort was made to cut her off from the 
entrance of the river, and how it was she was not 
sunk I cannot tell. As she came on we could see 

N , her commander, a well-known successful 

blockade-runner, standing on her paddle-box with 
his hat off, as if paying proper respect to the 
men-of-war. And now the fort opened fire at the 
chasing cruisers, from whom the blockade-runner 
was crawling, being by this time well inshore. One 



154 HOBART PASHA 

vessel was evidently struck, as she dropped out of 

range very suddenly. On came the Old J , 

one of the fastest boats in the trade, and anchored 
all right ; two or three shots in her hull, but not 
hurt. Didn't we cheer her ! The reason of her be- 
ing in the position in which we saw her at day- 
light was that she had run the time rather short, 
and daylight broke before she could get into the 
river; so that, instead of being there, she was in 
the very centre of the blockading fleet. Many 

men would have given in, but old N was made 

of different stuff. 

We got well clear of the cruisers before day- 
break, and keeping far out to sea, were unmolested 
during the run to Nassau, where we arrived safely 
with our second cargo of cotton, having this time 
been eighteen days making the round trip. 

Having made two round trips, we could afford 
to take it easy for a short time, and as the dark 
nights would not come on for three weeks, we gave 
the little craft a thorough refit, hauling her up on 
a patent slip that an adventurous American had 
laid down especially for blockade-runners, and for 
the use of which we had to pay a price which would 
have astonished some of our large ship-owners. 
I "may mention that blockade-runners always lived 
well ; maybe acting on the principle that " good 
people are scarce " ; so we kept a famous table. 



NEVER CAUGHT! 155 

An English man-of-war was lying in the harbor, 
whose officers frequently condescended to visit us, 
and whose mouths watered at what they saw and 
heard of the profits and pleasures of blockade- 
running. Indeed, putting on one side the sordid 
motives which I dare say to a certain extent 
actuated us, there was a thrilling and glorious ex- 
citement about the work, which would have well 
suited some of these gay young fellows. 

Time again came round too soon, and we had to 
start on another trip, and to tear ourselves away 
from all sorts of amusements, some of us from 
domestic ties : for there were instances of anxious 
wives who, having followed their husbands to the 
West Indies, vastly enjoyed all the novelty of 
the scene.* These ladies had their pet ships, in 
whose captains they had confidence, and in which 
they sent private ventures into the Confederacy ; 
and in this way some of them made a nice little 
addition to their pin-money. I don't know that 
any of them speculated in Cockle's pills or 
corsages, but I heard of one lady who sent in a 
large quantity of yellow soap, and made an enor- 
mous profit out of her venture. 

Having completed the necessary alterations and 
repairs, and made all snug for a fresh run, we 

* Mrs. Hobart, whom he had married in 1848, was one of 
them. {Ed.) 



156 HOBART PASHA 

started again from the port of Nassau. We had 
scarcely steamed along the coast forty miles from 
the mouth of the harbor, when we discovered a 
steamer bearing down on us, and we soon made 
her out to be a well-known, very fast Yankee 
cruiser, of whom we were all terribly afraid. As 
we were still in British waters, skirting the shore 
of the Bahamas, I determined not to change my 
course, but kept steadily on, always within a mile 
of the shore. On the man-of-war firing a shot 
across our bows as a signal for us to heave to, I 
hoisted the English colors and anchored. An 
American officer came on board, who, seeing un- 
mistakable proofs of the occupation we were en- 
gaged in, seemed very much inclined to make a 
prize of us ; but on my informing him that I 
claimed exemption from capture on the ground of 
the vessel being in British waters, he, after due 
consideration, sulkily wished me good morning and 
went back to his ship. She continued to watch 
us till the middle of the night, when I imagine 
something else attracted her attention, and she 
steamed away. We, taking advantage of her 
temporary absence, weighed our anchor and were 
soon far out at sea. 

At the end of three days we had run into a 
position about sixty miles from Wilmington with- 



NEVER CAUGHT! 157 

out any incident happening worth mentioning. 
On our nearing the blockading squadron at night- 
fall we heard a great deal of firing going on in- 
shore, which we conjectured (rightly as it after- 
wards appeared) was caused by the American 
ships, who were chasing and severely handling a 
blockade-runner. An idea at once struck me, 
which I quickly put into execution. We steamed 
in as fast as we could, and soon made out a vessel 
ahead that was hurrying in to help her consorts 
to capture or destroy the contraband. We kept 
close astern of her, and in this position followed 
the cruiser several miles. She made signals con- 
tinually by flashing different colored lights rapidly 
from the paddle-boxes, the meaning of which I 
tried my best to make out, so that I might be able 
to avail myself of the knowledge of the blockade 
signals at some future time ; but I could not man- 
age to make head or tail of them. 

Suddenly the firing ceased, and our pioneer 
turned out to sea again. As we were by this time 
very near inshore, we stopped the engines and re- 
mained quite still, but unluckily could not make 
out our exact position. 

The blockading cruisers were evidently very 
close in, so we did not like moving about ; besides, 
the pilot was confident that we were close enough 



158 HOBART PASHA 

to the entrance of the river to enable us to run in 
when day broke, without being in any danger from 
the enemy. 

Thus for the remainder of the night we lay quite 
close to the beach. Unfortunately, however, about 
an hour before daylight we struck the shore, and 
all our efforts to free the vessel were of no avail. 

As the day dawned we found that we were about 
a mile from Fort Fisher, and that two of the 
American vessels nearest the shore were about a 
mile from us when we first made them out, and 
were steaming to seaward, having probably been 
lying pretty near to the river's mouth during the 
darkness of the night. They were not slow to 
make us out in our unhappy position. I ordered 
the boats to be lowered, and gave every one on 
board the option of leaving the vessel, as it seemed 
evident that we were doomed to be a bone of con- 
tention between the fort and the blockaders. All 
hands, however, stuck to the ship, and we set to 
work to lighten her as much as possible. Steam 
being got up to the highest pressure, the engines 
worked famously, but she would not move, and I 
feared the sand would get into the bilges. And 
now a confounded vessel deliberately tried the 
range with her Parrot gun, and the shot splashed 
alongside of us. Her fire, however, was promptly 
replied to by Fort Fisher. The shot from the 



NEVER CAUGHT! 159 

fort's heavy artillery passed right over and close 
to the cruiser, and made her move further out, and 
thus spoiled the accuracy of the range of our de- 
voted little craft, which the man-of-war had so 
correctly obtained. We made a frantic effort to 
get off our sandy bed, and on all hands running 
from one extremity of the vessel to the other, to 
our delight she slipped off into deep water. 

But our troubles were not yet over. To get 
into the river's mouth it was necessary to make a 
detour, to do which we had to steer out towards 
the blockading fleet for a quarter of a mile before 
we could turn to go into the river. While we were 
performing this somewhat ticklish manoeuvre, Fort 
Fisher most kindly opened a heavy fire from all its 
guns, and thus drew the attention of the blockad- 
ers from us. In twenty minutes from the time 
we got off we were safely at anchor under the Con- 
federate batteries. The vessel that had been so 
hard chased and fired at during the night was 
lying safely at the anchorage, not very much 
damaged. 

This was by far the most anxious time we had 
gone through. We had to thank the command- 
ant and garrison of Fort Fisher for our escape. 
Having paid our gallant rescuers a visit, we took 
a pilot on board and steamed up to Wilmington. 
Cape Clear river at this time was full of all sorts 



160 HOBART PASHA 

of torpedoes and obstructions, put down to prevent 
any gunboats from approaching the town of Wil- 
mington, should the forts at its entrance be taken 
possession of by the enemy. And as the where- 
abouts of these obstructions were only known to 
certain pilots, we had to be careful to have the 
right man on board. We got up in safety, and 
finding that our cargo of cotton was ready, made 
haste to unload and prepare for sea again as 
quickly as possible. 

There was nothing interesting in Wilmington, 
which is a large straggling town built on sand- 
hills. At the time I write of the respectable in- 
habitants were nearly all away from their homes, 
and the town was full of adventurers of all de- 
scriptions ; some who came to sell cotton, others 
to buy at enormous prices European goods brought 
in by blockade-runners. These goods they took 
with them into the interior, and, adding a heavy 
percentage to the price, people who were forced to 
buy them paid most ruinous prices for the com- 
monest necessaries of life. 

On this occasion we spent a very short time at 
Wilmington, and having taken our cargo of cot- 
ton, we went down the river to the old waiting 
place under the friendly batteries of Fort Fisher. 
We had scarcely anchored when a heavy fog came 
on. As the tide for going over the bar did not suit 



NEVER CAUGHT! 161 

till three o'clock in the morning, which I consid- 
ered an awkward time, inasmuch as we should only 
have two hours of darkness left in which to get 
our offing from the land, I determined to go out in 
the fog and take my chance of the thick weather 
lasting. I calculated that if we had met with any 
cruisers, they would not have been expecting us, 
and so would have been under low steam. 

I was told by every one that I was mad to 
venture out, and all sorts of prognostications were 
made that I should come to grief, in spite of which 
omens of disaster, however, I went over the bar at 
four o'clock in the afternoon in a fog, through 
which I could hardly see from one end of the ship 
to the other, and took my chance. As we went on 
the fog seemed to get if possible still thicker, and 
through the night it was impossible for us to see 
anything or anything to see us. 

In the morning we had an offing of at least a 
hundred and twenty miles, and nothing was in 
sight. We made a most prosperous voyage, and 
arrived at Nassau safely in seventy-two hours, 
thus completing our third round trip. 



CHAPTER XIV 



LAST DAYS ON THE D- 



AS no vessel had succeeded since the block- 
ade was established in getting into Savan- 
nah (a large and flourishing town in 
Georgia, situated a few miles up a navigable river 
of the same name), where there was a famous 
market for all sorts of goods, and where plenty of 
the finest sea-island cotton was stored ready for 
embarkation, and as the southern port pilots were 
of opinion that all that was required to ensure 
success was an effort to obtain it, I undertook to 
try if we could manage to get the D n in. 

The principal difficulty we had to contend with 
was that the Northerners had possession of a large 
fortification called Pulaski, which, being situated 
at the entrance of the river, commanded the pas- 
sage up to the town. 

To pass this place in the night seemed easy 
work enough, as it would be hard for the sentry to 
make a vessel out disguised as we were; but to 
avoid the shoals and sand-banks at the river's 
mouth, in a pitch-dark night, seemed to me, after 
162 



LAST DAYS ON THE " D N " 163 

carefully studying the chart, to be a most difficult 
matter. This, however, was the pilot's business ; 
all we captains had to do was to avoid dangers 
from the guns of ships and forts ; or, if we could 
not avoid them, to stand being fired at. 

The pilot we had engaged was full of confidence ; 
so much so, that he refused to have any payment 
for his services until he had taken us in and out 
safely. I may as well mention that there were few 
if any blockading vessels off Savannah river, the 
Northerners having perfect confidence, I presume, 
in Fort Pulaski and the shoals which surrounded 
the entrance of the river being sufficient to prevent 
any attempt at blockade-running succeeding. 
The lights in the ship off Port Royal, a small 
harbor in the hands of the Northern Government, 
a few miles from the entrance to Savannah, were 
as bright as in the time of peace, and served as a 
capital guide to the river's mouth. After two 
days' run from Nassau we arrived without ac- 
cident to within twenty miles of the low land 
through which the Savannah river runs, and at 
dark steered for the light-vessel lying off Port 
Royal. Having made it out, in fact steaming 
close up to it, we shaped our course for Fort 
Pulaski, using the light as a point of departure, 
the distance by the chart being twelve miles. We 
soon saw its outlines looming through the darkness 



164 HOBART PASHA 

ahead, and formidable though it looked, it caused 
me no anxiety, compared with the danger we 
seemed to be in from the shoal water and breakers 
being all around us. However, the pilot who had 
charge of such matters seemed comfortable enough. 

So we went cautiously along, and in ten minutes 
would have been past danger, at all events from 
the batteries on the fort, when one of the severest 
storms I ever remember of, wind and rain, accom- 
panied by thunder and lightning, came on, and 
enveloped us in a most impenetrable darkness. 
Knowing that we were surrounded by most danger- 
ous shoals, and being then in only fifteen feet of 
water, I felt our position to be a very perilous 
one. The pilot had by this time pretty well lost 
his head ; in fact, it would have puzzled any one to 
say where we were. So we turned round and 
steered out to sea again, by the same way we had 
come in ; and when we were as near as we could 
guess twenty miles from land, we let go our anchor 
in fifteen fathoms of water. 

Then came on a heavy gale of wind accompanied 
by a thick fog, which lasted three days and nights. 
I never in my life passed such an unpleasant time ; 
rolling our gunnels under, knowing that we were 
drifting, our anchor having dragged, but in what 
direction it was difficult to judge; unable to cook, 
through the sea we had shipped having put our 



LAST DAYS ON THE " D N " 165 

galley-fire out ; and, worse than all, burning" quan- 
tities of coal, as we had to keep steam always well 
up, ready for anything that might happen. 

One day it cleared up for half an hour about 
noon, and we managed to get meridian observa- 
tions, which showed us that we had drifted thirty 
miles of latitude, but we still remained in ignorance 
of our longitude. On the fourth day the gale 
moderated, the weather cleared up, and we ascer- 
tained our position correctly by observations. 

When it was dark we steered for the light-vessel 
off Port Royal, meaning, as before, to make her 
our point of departure for the entrance of the 
river. But we went on and on, and we could not 
see the glimmer of a light or even anything of a 
vessel (we found out afterwards that the light- 
ship had been blown from her moorings in the 
gale). This was a nice mess. The pilot told us 
that to attempt to run for the entrance without 
having the bearings of the light to guide us would 
have been perfect madness. We had barely enough 
coal to take us back to Nassau, and if we had 
remained dodging about, waiting for the light- 
vessel to be replaced, we should have been worse 
off for fuel, of which we had so little that if we 
had been chased on our way back we should cer- 
tainly have been captured. 

So we started for Nassau, keeping well inshore 



166 HOBART PASHA 

on the Georgia and Florida coast. Along this 
coast there were many small creeks and rivers 
where blockade-running in small craft, and even 
boats, was constantly carried on, and where the 
Northerners had stationed several brigs and 
schooners of war, who did the best they could to 
stop the traffic. Many an open boat has run over 
from the northernmost island of the Bahamas 
group, a distance of fifty miles, and returned with 
one or two bales of cotton, by which her crew were 
well remunerated. 

We had little to fear from sailing men-of-war, 
as the weather was calm and fine, so we steamed 
a few miles from the shore, all day passing several 
of them, just out of range of their guns. One 
vessel tried the effect of a long shot, but we could 
afford to laugh at her. 

The last night we spent at sea was rather nerv- 
ous work. We had reduced our coals to about 
three quarters of a ton, and had to cross the Gulf 
Stream at the narrow part between the Florida 
coast and the Bahamas, a distance of twenty-eight 
miles, where the force of the current is four knots 
an hour. Our coals were soon finished. We cut 
up the available spars, oars, &c, burnt a hemp 
cable (that by the way made a capital blaze), and 
just managed to fetch across to the extreme west- 



LAST DAYS ON THE " D N " 167 

ern end of the group of islands belonging to Great 
Britain, where we anchored. 

We couldn't have steamed three miles further. 
On the wild spot where we anchored there was for- 
tunately a small heap of anthracite coal, that 
probably had been part of the cargo of some 
wreck, of which we took as much as would carry 
us to Nassau, and arrived there safely. Thus the 
attempt to get into Savannah was a failure. It 
was tried once afterwards by a steamer which man- 
aged to get well past the fort, but which stuck on 
a sand-bank shortly after doing so, and was cap- 
tured in the morning. 

It is not my intention to inflict on my readers 
any more anecdotes of my own doings in the 

D n; suffice it to say that I had the good 

luck to make six round trips in her, in and out of 
Wilmington, and that I gave her over to the chief 
officer and went home to England with my spoils. 
On arriving at Southampton, the first thing I saw 
in the Times was a paragraph headed, " The 

Capture of the D »." Poor little craft! I 

learned afterwards how she was taken, which I 
will relate, and which will show that she died game. 

The officer to whom I gave over charge * was 
as fine a specimen of a seaman as well can be im- 
* His first officer on the Don. (Ed.) 



168 HOBART PASHA 

agined, plucky, cool, and determined, and by the 
way he was a bit of a medico, as well as a sailor ; 
for by his beneficial treatment of his patients we 
had very few complaints of sickness on board. 
As our small dispensary was close to my cabin, 
I used to hear the conversation that took place 

between C and his patients. I will repeat 

one. 

C. " Well, my man, what's the matter with 
you?" 

Patient. " Please, sir, I've got pains all over 
me." 

C. " Oh, all over you, are tney ; that's bad." 

Then, during the pause, it was evident some- 
thing was being mixed up, and I could hear C 

say : " Here, take this, and come again in the 

evening." (Exit patient.) Then C said to 

himself : " I don't think he'll come again ; he has 
got two drops of the croton. Skulking rascal, 
pains all over him, eh ! " I never heard the voice 
of that patient again ; in fact, after a short time 
we had no cases of sickness on board. C ex- 
plained to me that the only medicine he served out, 
as he called it, was croton oil; and that none of 
the crew came twice for treatment. 

Never having run through the blockade as the 
commander of a vessel (though he was with me all 
the time and had as much to do with our luck as 



LAST DAYS ON THE " D N " 169 

I had), he was naturally very anxious to get safely 
through. There can be no doubt that the vessel 
had lost much of her speed, for she had been very 
hardly pushed on several occasions. This told 
sadly against her, as the result will show. On the 
third afternoon after leaving Nassau she was in 
a good position for attempting the run when night 
came on. She was moving stealthily about wait- 
ing for the evening, when suddenly, on the weather, 
which had been hitherto thick and hazy, clearing 
up, she saw a cruiser unpleasantly near to her, 
which bore down under steam and sail, and it soon 

became probable that the poor little D it's 

twin screws would not save her this time, well and 
often as they had done so before. 

The cruiser, a large full-rigged corvette, was 
coming up hand over hand, carrying a strong 
breeze, and the days of the D n seemed num- 
bered, when C tried a ruse worthy of any of 

the heroes of naval history. 

The wind, as I said, was very fresh, with a good 
deal of sea running. On came the cruiser till the 
D — ' — n was almost under her bows, and shortened 
sail in fine style. The moment the men were in the 

rigging, going aloft to furl the sails, C put 

his plan into execution. He turned his craft head 
to wind, and steamed deliberately past the corvette 
at not fifty yards' distance. She, with great way 



170 HOBART PASHA 

on, went nearly a quarter of a mile before she 
could turn. 

I have it from good authority that the order 
was not given to the marines on the man-of-war's 
poop to fire at the plucky little craft who had so 
fairly out-manoeuvred the cruiser, for out-manoeu- 
vred she was to all intents and purposes. The 
two or three guns that had been cast loose during 
the chase had been partially secured, and left so 
while the men had gone aloft to furl the sails, so 
that not a shot was fired as she went past. Shortly 
after she had done so, however, the cruiser opened 
fire with her bow guns, but with the sea that was 
running it could do no harm, being without any 

top weights. The D <n easily dropped the 

corvette with her heavy spars astern, and was soon 
far ahead; so much so that when night came on 
the cruiser was shut out of sight in the darkness. 

After this the D n deserved to escape, but 

it was otherwise fated. The next morning when 
day broke she was within three miles of one of the 
new fast vessels, which had come out on her trial 
trip, flying light, alas ! She had an opportunity 
of trying her speed advantageously to herself. 

She snapped up the poor D n in no time, and 

took her into the nearest port. I may mention 

that the D n and her captain were well known 

and much sought after by the American cruisers. 



LAST DAYS ON THE " D N " 171 

The first remark that the officer made on coming 
aboard her was : " Well, Captain Roberts, so we 
have caught you at last ! " and he seemed much 
disappointed when he was told that the captain 
they so particularly wanted went home in the last 
mail. The corvette which had chased and been 

cheated by the D n the day before was lying 

in the port into which she was taken. Her cap- 
tain, when he saw the prize, said : " I must go on 
board and shake hands with the gallant fellow who 
commands that vessel ! " and he did so, warmly 

complimenting C on the courage he had shown, 

thus proving that he could appreciate pluck, and 
that American naval men did not look down on 
' blockade-running as a grievous sin, hard work as 
it gave them in trying to put a stop to it. They 
were sometimes a little severe on men who, after 
having been fairly caught in a chase at sea, wan- 
tonly destroyed their compasses, chronometers, 
&c, rather than let them fall into the hands of 
the cruiser's officers. I must say that I was 
always prepared, had I been caught, to have made 
the best of things, to have given the officers who 
came to take possession all that they had fairly 
gained by luck having declared on their side, and 
to have had a farewell glass of champagne with 
the new tenant at the late owner's expense. 

The treatment received by persons captured en- 



172 HOBART PASHA 

gaged in running the blockade differed very ma- 
terially. If a bond fide American man-of-war of 
the old school made the capture, they were always 
treated with kindness by their captors. But there 
were among the officers of vessels picked up hur- 
riedly and employed by the Government a very 
rough lot, who rejoiced in making their prisoners 
as uncomfortable as possible. They seemed to 
have only one good quality, and this was that 
there were among them many good freemasons, 
and frequently a prisoner found the advantage of 
having been initiated into the brotherhood. 

The D n's crew fell into very good hands, 

and till they arrived at New York were comfort- 
able enough; but the short time they spent in 
prison there, while the vessel was undergoing the 
mockery of a trial in the Admiralty Court, was far 
from pleasant. However, it did not last very long 
— not more than ten days ; and as soon as they 
were free most of them went back to Nassau or 

Bermuda ready for more work. C came to 

England and told me all his troubles. Poor fel- 
low ! I am afraid his services were not half ap- 
preciated as they ought to have been, for success, 
in blockade-running as in everything else, is a vir- 
tue, whereas bad luck, even though accompanied 
with the pluck of a hero, is always more or less a 
crime, not to be forgiven. 



CHAPTER XV 

RICHMOND DURING THE SIEGE 

AFTER the excitement of the last six or 
eight months I could not long rest in Eng- 
land, satisfied with the newspaper accounts 
of the goings on in the blockade-running world. 
So I got the command of a new and very fast 
paddle-wheel vessel, and went out again. The 
American Government had determined to do every- 
thing in its power to stop blockade-running, and 
had lately increased the force of blockaders on the 
southern coast by some very fast vessels built at 
New York. Being aware of this, some of the first 
shipbuilders in England and Scotland were put, 
by persons engaged in blockade-running, on their 
mettle, to try and build steamers to beat them, and 
latterly it became almost a question of speed, es- 
pecially in the daylight adventures, between block- 
aders and blockade-runners. 

Some of the vessels on this side of the water 

were constructed regardless of any good quality 

but speed, consequently their scantling was light, 

and their seagoing qualities very inferior. Many 

173 



174 HOBART PASHA 

of them came to grief; two or three swamped at 
sea ; others, after being out a few days, struggled 
back into Queenstown, the lamest of lame ducks ; 
while some got out as far as Nassau quite unfit 
for any further work. 

My vessel was one of the four built by R 

and G of Glasgow, and was just strong 

enough to stand the heavy cross sea in the Gulf 
Stream. She was wonderfully fast, and, taking 
her all in all, was a success. On one occasion I 
had a fair race in the open day with one of the 
best of the new vessels that the American Govern- 
ment had sent out to beat creation wherever she 
could meet it, and I fairly ran away from her. 

On arriving at Wilmington in my new vessel I 
started to have a look at Richmond, which city 
was then besieged on its southern and eastern sides 
by General Grant, who, however, was held in check 
by Lee at Petersburg, a small town situated in 
an important position about eighteen miles from 
the capital. To get to Richmond was not easily 
accomplished without making a long detour into 
the interior (for which we had no time), for the 
outposts of the contending armies disputed pos- 
session of the last forty miles of the railroad be- 
tween Wilmington and Petersburg, the latter town 
being on the line to Richmond. As telegraphic 
communication was stopped, it was a difficult mat- 



RICHMOND DURING THE SIEGE 175 

ter to ascertain, day by day, whether a train could 
pass safely. 

We had in our party the young General Custis 
Lee, a nephew of the Confederate commander-in- 
chief, on his way to his uncle's headquarters, who 
kindly offered his assistance in getting us through. 
When we arrived at a station some forty miles 
from Richmond we found, as we feared would be 
the case, our further progress by rail impractic- 
able, but we got hold of a couple of wagons drawn 
by mules, into which we managed to stow ourselves 
and baggage. We travelled through all sorts of 
by-lanes, bumped almost to pieces for four miles, 
steering in the direction of the headquarters of 
the cavalry outposts, which were commanded by 
a celebrated raiding officer, also a nephew of the 
commander-in-chief. At last we found ourselves 
in a beautiful green valley surrounded by thick 
woods, where the general and his staff were quar- 
tered. He had with him two or three thousand 
cavalry, who, in spite of their bad clothing and 
somewhat hungry appearance, were as fine-looking 
a body of men as one would wish to see. 

The general and his staff gave us a hearty 
welcome. Poor fellows, it was all they had to 
offer ! We on our part produced sundry cases of 
sardines, Bologna sausages, and other tempting 
condiments wherewith to make a feast. 



176 HOBART PASHA 

All these good things were duly appreciated, 
not only by our new friends, who for months past 
had tasted nothing but coarse rye-bread and pork 
washed down with water, but also by well-shaken 
travellers like ourselves. Lying on the grass in 
that lovely spot, it seemed as if the war and all its 
horrors were for the moment forgotten. There 
were several Englishmen among the officers com- 
posing the staff, who had (they said) come out 
here to see active service, which they unquestion- 
ably had found to their hearts' content. They 
seemed the sort of men who would do credit to their 
country. I often wonder what has become of 
them ; in one of them I was particularly interested. 
He said his name was Cavendish, but it may have 
been a nom de guerre. 

While we were in the camp a picket came in, 
whose officer reported having had a skirmish with 
the enemy, in which the Northerners had been 
whipped. The way the cavalry outposts engaged 
with each other was curious enough. The ground 
they met on did not admit of cavalry charges be- 
ing made, as thick underwood covered the country 
for miles round. So, when they were inclined for 
a brush, they dismounted, tied their horses to trees, 
and skirmished in very open lines, every man pick- 
ing out his special enemy. When they had had 
enough of it, they picked up their killed and 



RICHMOND DURING THE SIEGE 177 

wounded, and, mounting their horses, rode away. 

After passing four or five hours with our cavalry 
friends we bade them good-bye, and started (still 
accompanied by our valuable companion, the 
young general) on our way to the headquarters 
of the army, where we were to pass the night. It 
was well for us that we travelled in such good com- 
pany, for having to pass all along the outskirts 
of the Southern army, we were constantly stopped 
and interrogated by patrols and pickets. Besides 
which we were sometimes disagreeably near to the 
outposts of the " boys in blue," as Grant's men 
were called. 

Having arrived very late in the evening at our 
destination, we bivouacked under the trees close 
to the headquarters of the general commanding, 
who was away at the front, and not expected back 
till the next evening. The rattle of musketry and 
the boom of heavy guns all through the night re- 
minded us of our vicinity to the theatre of war, 
and somewhat disturbed our rest. But if we were 
a little nervous, we took care not to show it. In 
the morning we started in our wagons, and, after 
travelling a few miles across the country, came to 
the railway that connected the camp with Rich- 
mond. A train shortly afterwards picked us up 
and landed us at the capital of Virginia, where 
we took up our quarters at a comfortable-looking 



178 HOBART PASHA 

hotel. There was more to drink and eat here than 
at Charleston, consequently people had cheerful 
countenances. . . . Here we found that the people 
had that wonderful blind confidence in the Southern 
cause which had mainly supported them through 
all difficulties. 

At this moment, though a line of earthworks 
hurriedly thrown up in a few hours at Petersburg 
was nearly all that kept Grant's well-organised 
army from entering the capital ; though the neces- 
saries of war, and even of life, were growing alarm- 
ingly short ; though the soldiers were badly fed, 
and only half-clothed or protected from the in- 
clemency of the weather (one blanket being all that 
was allowed to three men), still every one seemed 
satisfied that the South would somehow or other 
gain the day, and become an independent nation. 

While in Richmond I had the pleasure of mak- 
ing the acquaintance of the talented correspondent 
of the Times, who, although in a position to 
look on calmly at passing events, was so carried 
away by his admiration of the wonderful pluck 
shown by the Southerners, and by the general en- 
thusiasm of the people among whom he lived, that 
he allowed himself to be buoyed up with the hope 
that something would eventually turn up in their 
favor, and in his letters never seemed to despair. 
Had he done otherwise he would have stood alone, 



RICHMOND DURING THE SIEGE 179 

so he swam with the tide ; whereas all of us, es- 
pecially those who were mere lookers-on, should 
have seen the end coming months before we were 
obliged to open our eyes to the fact that it was 
come. Through his acquaintance with the big- 
wigs, we managed to get a few of them to accept 
an invitation to a feed, as we could offer luxuries 
such as could not be found in Richmond. 

Some of the first men in the Confederacy hon- 
ored us with their company, and made themselves 
uncommonly agreeable, seeming quite a jolly set of 
fellows. I fear that they have nearly all come to 
grief since then, except Mr. Benjamin, the Minis- 
ter of Foreign Affairs, who before his death, which 
occurred several years after the time that I write,* 
made himself a name in England worthy of his 
high talents and education. 

I had the honor, while in Richmond, of being 
invited to a tea party by Mrs. Davis, the Presi- 
dent's wife, which I thought very interesting. 
The ladies were all dressed in deep mourning ; some 
(the greater part) for the sad reason that they 
had lost near and dear relatives in the wretched 
war; the others, I suppose, were in mourning for 
their country's misfortunes. Mrs. Davis moved 
about the room saying something civil to every 
one, while the President, though a stern-looking 
*This was penned in 1867. (Ed.) 



180 HOBART PASHA 

man who never smiled, tried to make himself agree- 
able to his guests, and gave one the idea of a thor- 
ough gentleman. I saw there military officers who 
had lately come from the front, surrounded by 
groups of people anxious for news ; delegates from 
distant seceding States ; messengers from Hood's 
army, about which many were beginning to be anx- 
ious ; sympathising foreigners, government offi- 
cials, and many others. The whole of the con- 
versation naturally related to the prospects of the 
cause, and no one would have guessed from what 
he heard in President Davis's house that the end 
was so near. 

I was anxious before my return to see something 
of the army that had so long defended Richmond. 
So I only remained a few days at the capital, after 
which I left it and its, alas ! too confiding inhabit- 
ants, and made my way as best I could to the 
headquarters of the commander-in-chief. There I 
presented my letters of introduction to General 
Lee. 

It would perhaps be impertinence on my part 
to attempt to eulogise the character of this excel- 
lent man and good soldier, who, most thoroughly 
believing in the justice of the Southern cause, had 
sacrificed everything he possessed in its behalf, and 
had thrown all his energy and talent into the scale 
in its favor. Many who knew him well have done 



RICHMOND DURING THE SIEGE 181 

and will continue to do justice to his patriotism 
and self-denial. I had a very long conversation 
with him, which I wish I could repeat without being 
guilty of a breach of confidence, as evidence of the 
sensible notions he had formed of the state of af- 
fairs in the South. He was the only man I met 
during my travels who took a somewhat gloomy 
view of the military prospects of the country — of 
which, as a soldier, there could be no better judge. 
After spending twenty-four hours in the camp, 
we went to the railway station to see if we could 
get places for Wilmington. We found that the 
line was in the hands of the Southerners, and that 
although the " boys in blue " had a vulgar habit 
of firing into the carriages as they passed, the 
trains were running each night. But a train run- 
ning and a non-combatant passenger getting a 
place in a carriage were widely different things, 
every available seat being taken up by sick and 
wounded soldiers. I made a frantic effort to get 
into the train somehow, and after a severe struggle 
succeeded in scrambling into a sort of horse-box 
and sat me down on a long deal box, which seemed 
rather a comfortable place to sleep on. It was 
pitch dark when I got into the train, and we were 
obliged to keep in the dark until we had run the 
gauntlet of the Northern pickets, who favored us 
with a volley or two at a long range from the 



182 HOBART PASHA 

hills overlooking the railway. When we were 
clear of them I lighted a match, and to my horror 
found that I was comfortably lounging on a coffin. 
I wished I had not thrown a light on the subject, 
but by degrees, becoming accustomed I suppose 
to my position, I sank into a comfortable sleep 
and was really quite sorry when, on arriving at 
some station just before daylight, people came to 
remove my peculiar though far from uncomfort- 
able couch. I felt its loss the more, for in its place 
they put a poor fellow wounded nearly to death, 
whose moans and cries were, beyond anything, dis- 
tressing. We were a long time getting to Wil- 
mington, as it was necessary to stop and repair 
most of the bridges on the line before the train 
could venture over them, an operation at which 
all passengers sound in wind and limb had to as- 
sist. 

On arriving there we found all the world in a 
state of great excitement, on account of there hav- 
ing been a terrible fire among the cotton lying on 
the quays ready for embarkation, supposed to have 
been the work of an incendiary. 

The recollections of my last proceedings in the 
blockade-running are far from pleasant, and I 
shall pass them over as briefly as possible. 

When we had only the American Government 



RICHMOND DURING THE SIEGE 183 

cruisers to fear, we enjoyed the excitement in the 
same way as a man enjoys fox-hunting (only, by 
the way, we were the fox instead of the huntsmen), 
but when dire disease, in the worst form that Yel- 
low Jack could take, stalked in amongst us, and 
reduced our numbers almost hourly, things be- 
came too serious to be pleasant. 

However, before the fever showed itself we made 
one successful round trip in the new vessel (in 
and out) in capital form, having some exciting 
chases and little adventures, all very similar to 
what I have described before, the vessel doing 
credit to her designers on all occasions. We 
landed one thousand one hundred and forty bales 
of cotton at Bermuda, and it was after we had 
started from Wilmington on our second trip that 
the horrid yellow fever broke out among us. I 
believe that every precaution was taken by the 
Government of the island to prevent the disease 
from spreading, but increased by the drunken- 
ness, dissipation, and dirty habits of the crews of 
the blockade-runners, and the wretchedly bad 
drainage of the town of St. George, it had lately 
broken out with great violence, and had spread 
like wildfire, both on the shore and among the ship- 
ping. It must have been brought on board our 
ship by some of the men, who had been spending 



184 HOBART PASHA 

much time on shore ; we had not been twenty-four 
hours at sea before the fever had got deadly hold 
on our crew. 

We went to Halifax, where we landed our sick 
and inhaled some purer air ; but it was of no avail. 
The fever was in the vessel and we could not shake 
it off. The poor fellows as soon as we were out 
at sea again began to drop off. I never can for- 
get an incident of that voyage, which, as it could 
only have happened during blockade-running 
times, I will mention, melancholy though it was. 
Two men died in the middle watch one night, when 
we were in very dangerous waters. Their bodies 
were wrapped in rough shrouds, ready to be com- 
mitted to the deep when daylight broke, as we 
dared not show a light whereby to read the Fu- 
neral Service. I never waited so anxiously or 
thought the dawn so long in coming. I was wait- 
ing with my Prayer-book in my hands straining 
my eyes to make out the service ; the men with 
their hats off, standing by the bodies, ready to 
ease them down into the sea. Our minds I fear 
wandered towards the danger that existed (almost 
to a certainty) of a cruiser making us out by the 
same light that enabled us to perform our sad 
office. However, as soon as there was light enough, 
the service was read without any indecent hurry, 



RICHMOND DURING THE SIEGE 185 

and fortunately nothing was in sight to disturb 
us for several hours afterwards. 

It was miserable work. That morning about 
seven o'clock a man came up from the engine- 
room, and while trying to say something to me 
fell down in a fit, and was dead in half an hour. 
There was quite a panic among us all, and as if 
to make things worse to the superstitious sailors, 
whenever we stopped several horrid sharks im- 
mediately showed themselves swimming round the 
vessel. The men lost all heart, and would I think 
have been thankful to have been captured, as a 
means of escape from what they believed to be 
a doomed vessel. Taking into consideration that 
if we got into Wilmington we should, with this 
dreadful disease on board, have been put into al- 
most interminable quarantine (for the inhabitants 
of Wilmington having been decimated before by 
yellow fever, which was introduced by blockade- 
runners, had instituted the most severe sanitary 
laws), I determined to go back to Halifax. 

On arriving there I was taken very ill with yel- 
low fever, and on my recovery made up my mind 
to give up blockade-running for ever and all. The 
game indeed was fast drawing to a close. Its 
decline was caused in the first by the impolitic 
behavior of the people at Wilmington, who, pro- 



186 HOBART PASHA 

fessedly acting under orders from the Confederate 
Government at Richmond, pressed the blockade- 
runners into their service to carry out cotton on 
Government account, in such an arbitrary manner 
that the profit to their owners, who had been put 
to an enormous expense and risk in sending ves- 
sels in, was so much reduced that the ventures 
hardly paid. And when at last Fort Fisher was 
taken, and thus all blockade-running entirely put 
an end to, the enterprise had lost much of its 
charm ; for, unromantic as it may seem, much of 
that charm consisted in money-making. 

However, I will mention one or two instances 
to show what the love of enterprise will lead men 
to do, and with these I will close my narration. 

On the first night of the attack on Fort Fisher, 
which it ma} r be remembered was a failure entirely 
through bad management, though its little gar- 
rison fought like lions, a blockade-runner unaware 
of what was going on, finding that the blockading 
squadron was very near inshore and hearing a 
great deal of firing, kept creeping nearer to the 
fort, till she was near enough to make out what 
they were doing. Judging rightly that they would 
never suspect that any attempt would be made to 
run the blockade at such a time, she joined a de- 
tachment of gunboats and went deliberately in 
as one of them. When they, being repulsed, had 



RICHMOND DURING THE SIEGE 187 

steamed away, our friend remained at anchor under 
the fort, much to the astonishment of the garrison. 
It would have been rather awkward if the fort had 
been taken, but in such times no one looks very 
far ahead. 

Another vessel went out from Wilmington the 
same night, and was unmolested. But fortune 
does not always favor the brave. Fort Fisher was 
at last taken unbeknownst, as the sailors say, to 
the blockade-runners at Nassau or Bermuda, at 
which places the blindest confidence was still felt 
in everything connected with the fortunes of the 
South, and where to whisper an opinion that any 
mishap might happen to Wilmington was posi- 
tively dangerous. The crafty Northerners placed 
the lights for going over the bar as usual. The 
blockade-runners came cautiously on, and, con- 
gratulating themselves at seeing no cruisers, ran 
gaily into the port. The usual feasting and re- 
joicings were about to commence when a boat full 
of armed men came alongside, and astonished them 
by telling them that they were in the lion's mouth. 
This happened to four or five vessels before the 
news had reached the islands. It was hard lines, 
no doubt, but quite fair play. It was the blockad- 
ers' turn to laugh now. 



CHAPTER XVI 



THE LAND BLOCKADE 



I HAVE now come to the end of my blockade- 
running yarns. I have endeavored to avoid 
giving offence to any one: to the American 
officers and men who manned the cruisers I can, 
as a nautical man, truly and honestly give the 
credit of having most zealously performed their 
hard and wearisome duty. It was not their fault 
that I did not visit New York at the Government's 
expense ; but the old story that " blockades, to be 
legal, must be efficient," is a tale for bygone days. 
So long as batteries at the entrance of the port 
blockaded keep ships at a respectable distance, the 
blockade will be broken. 

A practical suggestion that my experience dur- 
ing the time I was a witness of the war in America 
would lead me to make is, that, both for the pur- 
poses of war and of blockade, speed is the most 
important object to attain. Towards the end of 
that contest, blockade-running became much more 
difficult, in fact, was very nearly put a stop to, 
not by the ports becoming more effectually closed 
188 



THE LAND BLOCKADE 189 

to traffic, but by the sea being literally covered 
with very fast vessels, who picked up many block- 
ade-runners at sea during the daytime, especially 
when they had their heavy cargoes of cotton on 
board. The Americans are also perfectly alive to 
the fact that, for purposes of war, speed is all 
important. An American officer of rank once re- 
marked to me : " Give me a fifteen-knot wooden 
vessel armed with four heavy guns of long range, 
and I'll laugh at your lumbering iron-clads." 
Perhaps he had prize-money in view when he said 
so; or, what is still more important, he may have 
felt how easily such vessels as those he proposed 
would sweep the seas of foreign privateers. In 
these views I can but think he was right and far- 
seeing. Time will show. 

It may have struck my readers as strange that, 
in a country with so large an inland boundary, the 
necessaries of life and munitions of war could not 
have been introduced into the Southern States by 
their extensive frontiers: but it is only a just trib- 
ute to the wonderful energy shown by the Northern 
Americans during the civil war, to state that the 
blockade by land was as rigid as that enforced by 
their fleets ; and almost as much risk was run by 
persons who broke the land blockade as by those 
who evaded the vigilance of the cruisers at sea. 
The courses of the large inland rivers were pro- 



190 HOBART PASHA 

tected by gunboats, and on account of the rapids 
and other impediments, such as snags, with which 
they were filled, the fords or passes for boats were 
few and far between, and thus easily guarded ; be- 
sides which, it was always a difficult matter to avoid 
the pickets belonging to either party, who were 
very apt to suspect a man they found creeping 
about without any ostensible object, and any one 
suspected of being a spy in those days had a short 
shrift and a long rope applied before he knew where 
he was. More from a spirit of enterprise than 
from any other reason, I determined to see what 
the land blockade was like, and while at Richmond, 
happening to meet another adventurous individual 
also so inclined, we commenced our plan of cam- 
paign. 

First of all (by the way, I ought to mention 
that we were both nautical parties) we engaged 
a pilot, thereby meaning a man who had a canoe 
or two stowed away in different parts of the woods, 
and who was well acquainted with the passes on 
the river. Our amiable friend, the correspondent 
of the Times, showed so much confidence in our 
success that he entrusted to our care a packet of 
despatches, which were intended, if we got through 
successfully, to delight the eyes of the readers of 
the " Thunderer " some weeks afterwards. 

We had to buy a horse and buggy, as naturally 



THE LAND BLOCKADE 191 

enough no one would let them out on hire for such 
an enterprise ; besides, those were not days when 
men let out anything on hire that they could not 
keep in sight. However, we sent a man on before 
us, in company with the pilot, to a station some 
miles from the frontier, whose business it was to 
bring the trap back when we had done with it. 
We stowed in our haversacks a pair of dry stock- 
ings, a good stock of tobacco, and a couple of 
bottles of brandy, against the road ; we also had 
passes to produce in the event of questions being 
asked by the patrols on the Southern side of the 
frontier. 

All being ready, we started, leaving Richmond 
at four o'clock in the morning. We travelled on 
a long, dreary, dusty road all day, stopping about 
noon for two hours at a free nigger's hut, where 
we got some yams and milk, and about sunset ar- 
rived at the station above mentioned, at which we 
were to dismiss our conveyance ; and right glad 
we were to get rid of it, for we were bumped to 
death by its dreadful oscillations. 

At this station our pilot was waiting for us. 
There were also bivouacking here a picket of cav- 
alry, who told us they had seen some of the enemy's 
patrols that morning, scouring about on the op- 
posite bank of the river just where we proposed 
to land. Somehow or other, people always seem 



192 HOBART PASHA 

to take a pleasure in telling you disagreeable things 
at a time when you rather want encouragement 
than fear instilled into you. We had some sup- 
per, consisting of eggs and bacon; and at nine 
o'clock, it being then pitch dark, the pilot informed 
us it was time to start. I must say I should have 
been more comfortable if I had been on the bridge 
of my little craft, just starting over the bar at 
Wilmington, with the probability of a broadside 
from a gunboat saluting us in a very short time, 
than where I was. But it would never do to think 
of going back, so we crawled into the wood. 

Our land pilot informed us that the bank of the 
river, from whence we should find a clear passage 
across, was about two miles distant. I never re- 
member seeing or feeling anything to be compared 
with the darkness of that pine wood, but our guide 
seemed to have the eyes of a basilisk. We formed 
Indian file, our guide leading, and crept along as 
best we could. At last, after stealthily progress- 
ing for half an hour, a glimmer of starlight 
through the trees showed us that we were getting 
to the borders of the wood. 

A few minutes afterwards we were desired to lie 
down. Feeling helpless as babes, we passively 
obeyed, and watched our guide as he moved about 
like a spectre in the long grass on the banks of 
the Potomac, looking for his canoe. At last he 



THE LAND BLOCKADE 193 

returned and whispered that the boat was all right, 
and we all crept like serpents to where it was con- 
cealed. Nothing could be heard but the wind 
blowing through the trees, and the discordant 
noises of frogs and other denizens of the swamp. 
So dark was the night that we could hardly see 
fifty yards across the river. I suppose this was 
all in our favor ; but how our guide knew the marks 
by which to steer was a puzzle to me, and as I 
never meant to profit by this experience I asked 
no questions. 

Not a word was spoken as we (myself and my 
friend) launched the canoe silently into the water 
and seated ourselves, or rather obeyed orders and 
lay down, the pilot sitting in the stern, with his 
face towards the bow of the boat, having a light 
paddle in his hand, which he worked wonderfully 
well and silently. The distance across the river 
was about three miles. 

We shot ahead at a rapid pace for about five 
minutes, when suddenly, bump went the canoe 
against something. To lie flat down was to our 
guide the work of a second, and the canoe was at 
once transformed into a floating log. 

Well it was so, for it seems we had struck a 
small boat that was fastened astern of the gun- 
boat guarding the river. That the noise of the 
collision had been heard on board was evident, for 



194 HOBART PASHA 

a sentry hailed, " Boat ahoy ! " and fired his 
musket, and one of those detestable bright lights 
which the American men-of-war have a nasty habit 
of showing flashed over the water, making every- 
thing visible for a hundred yards round. The 
current of the river, however, was very strong, 
and I fancy we had drifted out of the radius cov- 
ered by the light, as we were fortunately not dis- 
covered; or perhaps the diligent watchman on 
board the man-of-war thought some huge croco- 
dile or other monster had come in contact with 
their boat.* Be that as it may, we were safe, and 
twenty minutes more paddling brought us to land 
on the opposite bank of the river; but unfortu- 
nately our little adventure had thrown us out of 
our line, or as we sailors should have called it, out 
of our course. We hauled the canoe out of the 
water, and hid her in the long grass. All we 
could see around us was a dismal swamp, with the 
dark wood in the background. Our guide honestly 
told us that having been thrown out of his " reck- 
oning " in regard to our position, to move from 
where we were before daybreak would be madness, 
so we lighted our pipes and waited patiently, hav- 
ing moved well in under cover of the long grass, 
so as to be out of sight of any vessel lying in the 
river near to us. 

* Not in the Potomac. (Ed.) 



THE LAND BLOCKADE 195 

When the day dawned, our pilot after having 
reconnoitred told us that we were very well placed 
for starting for Washington ; but that it would 
be impossible, on account of the patrols that were 
constantly watching the river's bank, for us to 
move during the daytime, so we were doomed to 
remain all day in the damp grass. Luckily we 
had put in our pockets at last night's supper 
some black bread and an onion or two ; so we made 
the best of things, and so did the sandflies. How 
they did pitch into us, especially into me ! I sup- 
pose the good living I had been accustomed to on 
board the blockade-runner, or my natural disposi- 
tion to good condition, made me taste sweet. Sev- 
eral times during that fearful day I was tempted 
to rush out from my hiding-place, and defying 
patrols, gunboat's crew, and all authorities, make 
my escape from that place of torture. 

Any one who has experienced the necessity of re- 
maining quiet under such an infliction as an attack 
of millions of sandflies on a hot sunny day will ap- 
preciate my feelings. About one o'clock we got 
as a diversion from our tormentors a great fright. 
A boat's crew of a gunboat lying about a mile 
distant from our retreat landed, and out of sheer 
idleness set fire to the grass about a hundred yards 
from where we were lying concealed. 

We heard the crackling of the grass and thought 



196 HOBART PASHA 

of leaving our concealment at the risk of discovery ; 
but our guide wisely remarked that the wind was 
the wrong way to bring the fire towards our hid- 
ing-place, so we felt safe. The feeling of security 
was more pleasant, because we distinctly heard 
the men belonging to the gunboat conversing with 
others, who clearly were patrols on the river's 
bank. 

The evening at last closed in, and as soon as it 
was quite dark we moved on, and after struggling 
through a thick wood for half an hour, got on 
the high road to Washington. We travelled by 
night, meeting occasional patrols, whom we dodged 
by either lying down or getting behind trees till 
they had passed. 

We concealed ourselves carefully during the day, 
and on the third morning before daylight we were 
within half a mile of the city. As we got near 
the bridge close outside Washington, we tried our 
best to look like the rest of the people who were 
going on their ordinary business ; and though 
somewhat severely scrutinised by the guard we man- 
aged to pass muster, and got safely into Washing- 
ton, footsore, hungry, and regularly done up. 

We went to a small inn that had been recom- 
mended to us when we were in Richmond, where 
probably they had some Southern proclivities. 
No questions were asked as to where we came from, 



THE LAND BLOCKADE 197 

though, I take it, the people of the house had a 
shrewd guess. We found ourselves among friends 
and perfectly safe from meddling inquiries. 

Thus the land blockade was run. I do not think 
much experience was gained by this particularly 
unpleasant exploit, which after all there was no 
very great difficulty in performing, and I certainly 
prefer my own element. 

After a short stay we made our way easily to 
New York, not feeling any anxiety from the fact 
of our being staunch Southerners in our opinions, 
inasmuch as there were numbers of sympathising 
friends wherever we went, more perhaps than the 
authorities were aware of. I stayed a few days 
in New York to recruit my strength after the 
fatigue of the journey, and saw all the sights and 
enjoyed all the pleasures of the most delightful 
city in the world, except perhaps Paris and Lon- 
don. I shall not attempt to give my readers any 
description of New York. This has already been 
done by abler pens than mine. 

While in New York I was greatly struck with 
the calm confidence of the bulk of the Northerners 
in the ultimate success of their arms against the 
South. If I gained nothing else by running the 
land blockade, I at least got an insight into the 
enormous resources possessed by the North, and a 
knowledge of the unflinching determination with 



198 HOBART PASHA 

which the Federals were prepared to carry on the 
struggle to the end. I must confess that I left 
New York with my confidence that the Confeder- 
ates would achieve their independence very much 
shaken. 

Not being desirous of going through the risk 
and inconvenience of running the land blockade 
again, I returned to Nassau by steamer from New 
York. 



CHAPTER XVII 

I ENTER THE TURKISH NAVY 

AFTER superintending, as it were, the ad- 
ventures just detailed, I found that there 
was still a year to pass before my time 
for service as a post-captain came on ; so I de- 
termined on making a Continental tour to fill up 
the space. After wandering about in different 
countries, I more by accident than design visited 
Constantinople. 

While there, I called upon that great statesman 
Fuad Pasha, the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman 
Empire, to whom I presented my letters of in- 
troduction. He received me most cordially, and, 
during our conversation, mentioned that for some 
years Turkey had had to deal with a serious in- 
surrection in the island of Crete, which it was 
found difficult to suppress, owing to the assistance 
from without which the revolutionary party re- 
ceived from Greece; also on account of the some- 
what doubtful laws existing as to blockade-run- 
ning. For, although Turkish men-of-war were 
continually on the look-out, vessels mostly under 
199 



200 HOBART PASHA 

the Greek flag, carrying warlike stores, provisions, 
&c, evaded the watch of the cruisers on one pre- 
text or another, and so managed to keep a lively 
communication with the insurrectionary subjects 
of the Sultan in Crete. Only one vessel had been 
captured m flagrante delicto after a sharp fight, 
and had been condemned as a lawful prize. 

The Turkish authorities were told that, accord- 
ing to international law, a blockade-running vessel 
could not be followed more than ten miles from 
the coast, though having been seen breaking the 
blockade, and that as soon as a blockade-runner 
was within four miles of any island not belonging 
to Turkey, she could not be touched, &c. &c. ; in 
fact, laws were fabricated to defend the blockade- 
running, which fed the revolution to such an ex- 
tent that, while it continued, it was hopeless to 
attempt to put down the revolt. 

I accidentally hinted to His Highness, Fuad 
Pasha, that I thought the blockade-running could 
be put a stop to without infringing any law, espe- 
cially where laws were so elastic. He seemed 
much struck with my remark, and asked me to call 
on him again in a few days. Now I had merely 
mentioned casually what I thought. I had no 
idea of anything serious resulting from our inter- 
view. I was indeed surprised on my return to His 
Highness by his saying : " I have consulted His 



I ENTER THE TURKISH NAVY 201 

Majesty the Sultan, who desires me to tell you that 
if you would wish to take service with the Ottoman 
Government, arrangements can be made whereby 
you can do so, only you must take the risk and 
responsibility of offending your own people." 

I had to consider a little before replying. I 
bore in mind that there were some two hundred and 
fifty post-captains in the English navy clamor- 
ing for employment, and that there were at the 
moment I speak of only about forty employed. I 
remembered that for twenty-four years an Eng- 
lish officer of the same rank as myself had held 
the post now offered to me, namely, that of Naval 
Adviser to the Turkish Government, that the post 
was just vacant through the retirement of Sir 
Adolphus Slade (who had served honorably for 
twenty years, and had retired from old age). I 
calculated in those days of profound peace there 
was more probability of active service in the East- 
ern world than elsewhere. So I answered: 
" Well, your Highness, I am ready if the terms 
offered me are satisfactory." 

I may say they proved most satisfactory; so, 
to make a long story short, I accepted and was 
booked as a Turkish employe for five years, always 
retaining my rank and position as an English 
naval officer, and my nationality as a British sub- 
ject. 



202 HOBART PASHA 

I found afterwards, as regards my position as 
an English naval officer, I had somewhat reckoned 
without my host. It seems that this post was 
considered by the English Admiralty as one of 
their choice gifts, and many were the applicants 
for it on Sir A. Slade's retirement, so much so 
that their lordships made great capital of this ap- 
pointment, and were furious at my action in the 
matter. They said I had " cut out " a good old 
servant to whom they had intended to give it. 
They suggested my coming home at once, &c, &c. 
I didn't see it in the same light as their lordships, 
and I signified my determination to remain where 
I was ; for which, as will be seen, they paid me off 
in course of time. Luckily, I could afford by the 
arrangement I had made with the Turkish Govern- 
ment to be in the Admiralty's bad books, and even 
the frowns of the English Ambassador did not 
affect me a bit. I believe they called me " ad- 
venturer," " artful dodger," &c, but it must be 
remembered that I was in every way as much en- 
titled to this position as the Admiralty " pet," 
whoever he may have been. 

From the day of signing my contract (which 
has been constantly renewed) to the time I write, 
some sixteen years, I never have had cause to re- 
gret the step I took. 

Shortly after my installation as vice-admiral in 



I ENTER THE TURKISH NAVY 203 

the Turkish navy, it was decided that I should be 
sent to Crete to put a stop to the blockade-run- 
ning. " Set a thief to catch a thief," as one of 
my, what may be called, unfriendly critics has 
written about me, and the remark was ben trovato 
at all events, for I certainly did know something 
about blockade-running. 

I accordingly hoisted my flag in a fine fifty-gun 
wooden frigate, and arrived at Suda Bay, the 
principal port of Crete, where six or seven Turk- 
ish men-of-war were stationed, of which I took 
command. Here I heard all the naval officers had 
to say about the blockade, the impunity with which 
it was carried on, &c. I found, as I before men- 
tioned, that the Turkish naval officers' hands were 
tied by all sorts of imaginary difficulties. They 
had most zealously done their duty while trying 
to stop the blockade-running. They had shown 
great pluck and endurance, but they always feared 
to break the law and so get the ever-bullied Turk- 
ish Government into trouble. Here I also heard 
of the triumphant manner in which the blockade- 
runners left the ports of Greece. How the mayors 
of Syra, Poros, and other Greek towns, conducted, 
with flags flying, bands playing, and the hurrahs 
of the entire population, the hitherto triumphant 
blockade-running captains and crews to their 
ships, on the way to feed the flame of revolt against 



204. HOBART PASHA 

a nation with whom the Greeks professed to be on 
most friendly terms. 

I heard all this, and was moreover told that if 
the blockade-running was stopped, the insurgents 
in Crete would at once lay down their arms for 
want of food and warlike stores. 

I determined to stop it at all risks. 

Picking out of my squadron a couple of fast 
despatch boats and a quick steaming corvette to 
accompany my flag-ship, I started on a cruise, and 
once out of sight of the harbor of Suda, steamed 
straight for Syra. Now this port had been the 
principal delinquent in fitting out and sending 
blockade-runners to Crete ; so I thought that by 
going as it were to the starting-point, I should be 
somewhat nearer to my quarry than by waiting for 
them in Crete. Circumstances favored me in the 
most marvellous manner. As morning broke the 
day after I left Suda, I was about eight miles from 
Syra harbor steaming slowly, when I saw what 
made my heart leap into my mouth, viz., a regular 
blockade-runner exactly of the type used in the 
American war, going at full speed for Syra har- 
bor. 

He was outside my little squadron, and must 
pass within a mile or so ahead to get to his port. 

A somewhat similar position I have so often seen, 
in fact, taken part in, of a craft running for dear 



I ENTER THE TURKISH NAVY 205 

life into Charleston or Wilmington, across the bows 
of blockading ships just at daylight. I saw that 
he was firing up all he knew, and was going at a 
tremendous speed. I signalled to my despatch 
boats to chase, and when my flag-ship was within 
about a mile and a half I fired a blank gun to make 
him show his colors. To this he replied by firing 
his long Armstrong gun with such effect that the 
shot cut away the stanchion of the bridge on which 
I was standing. Now, gallant fellow as he was, 
in doing this he was wrong; he should have shown 
his colors and run (if he knew he wasn't honest) 
for the shelter of a neutral flag, but not fired at 
a man-of-war, who in her duty as forming part 
of the police of the seas fires a blank gun asking 
for colors from a suspicious vessel. He undoubt- 
edly committed an act of piracy and gave me a 
splendid hold on him. 

My despatch boats chased the blockade-runner 
close to Syra harbor, both parties keeping a warm 
running fight. When I recalled them, I found that 
this vessel was called the Enossis. Her captain 
was a most courageous Greek, who thought of 
nothing but carrying his cargo and fighting to the 
last for his ship, evidently ignoring all laws, nor 
did he even think that on this occasion some one 
was acting against him who knew something of the 
rules of blockade, and who could have told him 



206 HOBART PASHA 

that an armed blockade-runner is a pirate, that is 
to say, if she uses her arms against a man-of-war. 

I was so satisfied with what had occurred that I 
sent off one of my despatch boats to the Governor 
of Crete, telling him that he need not fear the 
blockade-runners any more, as they (the two others 
were lying in Syra harbor) had put themselves in 
so false a position that at all events for several 
weeks I could detain them at Syra. I knew that 
one week would suffice to stop the revolt in Crete, 
as without the blockade-runners the insurrection- 
ists had positively nothing to eat. 

(I may as well at once observe that I was per- 
fectly justified in saying this, for within three 
days, no blockade-runner arriving at the island, 
the insurgents laid down their arms and begged 
for bread. And so ended the Cretan revolt.) 

Having recalled the vessels I had sent to chase 
the Enossis into Syra harbor, I steamed in the 
roads off that port, and anchored with three ves- 
sels. 

I then sent to the authorities on shore at Syra, 
and demanded their assistance in arresting a vessel 
that had taken shelter in their port, which, as I 
stated in my despatch, had committed an act of 
piracy on the high seas, by firing at my flagship 
when the latter called upon her to show her colors 
by firing a blank gun. At the same time I in- 



I ENTER THE TURKISH NAVY 207 

formed the authorities of Syra that, as the com- 
panions of the Enossis were in the harbor, I should 
allow none of them to go to sea until the question 
of that vessel's illegal action was cleared up. By 
doing this I took the wind out of the sails of the 
authorities of Syra. They of course were furious, 
and at once despatched a vessel to Athens for 
orders. At the same time they made a semblance 
of meeting my demand by stating that the Enossis 
should be tried by international law. They also 
requested me to make my protest and to leave Syra, 
as the populace were in a state of excitement be- 
yond their power of control. In this request all 
the foreign consuls joined. 

I positively declined to leave ; had I consented I 
am convinced the Enossis and her companions 
would have left for Crete as soon as I was out of 
sight. In the meantime I sent a despatch boat to 
Smyrna with telegrams for Constantinople asking 
for assistance, stating my position. I remained 
off Syra with two ships, one being a despatch boat, 
watching the movements of the three blockade-run- 
ners, whom I notified that I would sink them if 
they attempted to leave the port. 

I often wonder they didn't make a rush for it 
on the first night of my arrival, when I was almost 
alone. The Greeks never want pluck. If they 
had done so, one vessel out of the three would cer- 



208 HOBART PASHA 

tainly have escaped, taken food to the insurgents, 
and capsized all my calculations. 

It merely corroborated my view of blockade- 
running peoples, namely, that they go for gain 
(some perhaps for love of enterprise) ; don't fight 
unless very hard pressed, and not always then if 
they are wise; that is what it should be. It is 
outrageous that adventurous persons not engaged 
in war should become belligerents, as well as car- 
riers of arms and provisions to an enemy. 

The first night I passed off Syra was one of 
great anxiety, as I had promised the Governor of 
Crete that no blockade-runner should go to the 
island. 

In the morning a small steamer arrived from 
Athens with a Turkish official on board. He came 
to me pale as a sheet, and told me that as he left 
the Piraeus a Greek frigate was on the point of 
leaving for Syra, whose captain, officers, and crew 
had sworn to bring back Hobart Pasha dead or 
alive. Half an hour afterwards I got under 
weigh, and as I steamed about in the offing I saw 
the Greek frigate coming round the point. 

It was a moment of intense excitement. The 
tops of the houses at Syra were covered with 
people. It looked like the old story of the Chesa- 
peake and Shannon, where the people turned out 



I ENTER THE TURKISH NAVY 209 

to see the fine sport, and the band played, " Yankee 
doodle dandy, oh ! " 

However, I steamed towards my supposed enemy, 
went almost alongside of him, expecting momen- 
tarily to receive his broadside, when to my astonish- 
ment and I must say satisfaction he steamed into 
the anchorage, and let go three anchors. This 
didn't look like fighting. I found afterwards that 
the Greek frigate had no powder on board. It 
was a shame to put her captain in so false a posi- 
tion, as everyone knows what gallant stuff the 
Greeks are made of, and swagger is a mistake 
where real pluck exists. 

I felt for him very much, as he seemed so sorry 
for himself. 

A few days after this I was reinforced by six or 
seven Turkish ironclads, and in fact commanded 
the position in spite of all remonstrances on the 
part of foreigners and other declared enemies of 
Turkish rule. 

We went through the laughable farce of a trial 
of the Enossis on board a vessel lying in port (I 
dared not land), which of course ended in nothing. 

The Governor-General of Crete sent all the in- 
surgents in Turkish ships to me to deal with, and 
this was the most difficult thing I had to do. Poor 
beggars, they were fine though misguided men. 



210 HOBART PASHA 

After giving them a good feed, for they were ter- 
ribly hungry, I distributed them among the neigh- 
boring Greek islands, and so finished the affair. 

There are those who say that my acts off Syra 
were illegal, especially as to stopping the Enossis's 
companions from leaving the port. All I can say 
is, the Greeks en masse, from the Government down- 
wards, had paid so little regard to international 
law during three years, as regards their action in 
encouraging revolution in the territory of a 
friendly country, that a little stretch of the law 
on my part was quite justifiable. 

While on the subject of Crete, which is always 
supposed to be in a chronic state of revolt, I would 
say a few words. 

I maintain that the Cretan people, of whom I 
know a good deal, do not want an alliance with 
Greece, and if the always over-excited ambitious 
Greek committees would only keep quiet and give 
up agitation, the Cretans would be the happiest 
community in the Mediterranean. 

While I commanded for more than a year a large 
squadron of Turkish ironclads stationed in Crete, 
I had many opportunities of judging as to the 
sentiments of the Cretans. 

I never saw a more orderly, well-disposed people 
if let alone by agitators. 

On my return to Constantinople the reception I 



I ENTER THE TURKISH NAVY 211 

received from several of the European Powers was 
most gratifying. 

I received high honors in the shape of decora- 
tions, for having, as they said, by my conduct pre- 
vented a European war. My own country alone 
stood aloof from me. The Admiralty went so far 
as to tell me that if I did not immediately return 
to England, my name would be erased from the 
list of naval officers. An officer of high rank, a 
member of the Board of Admiralty, wrote to me a 
semi-official letter, in which he said, " Unless you 
leave the Turkish service, you will be scratched 
off the list." Feeling exceedingly hurt at such 
treatment, at a moment when I expected encourage- 
ment for having maintained the honor of my 
country while acting as a naval officer should have 
done, I wrote to him, " You may scratch and be 
d — d." This letter was, I think, very unfairly 
quoted against me some time afterwards in the 
House of Commons. However, my name was 
erased from the list of naval officers, and was not 
replaced there for several years. I was well and 
kindly received by His Majesty the Sultan, pro- 
moted to the rank of full admiral, and settled down 
to my work as a Turkish naval officer, head of the 
staff of the Imperial Navy. 

It becomes a most delicate task to continue 
sketches of my life during the latter time that I 



212 HOBART PASHA 

have been in Turkey, because such anecdotes strike 
nearer home, that is to say, become more what may 
be called personal as regards my public and private 
doings. However, I will endeavor, somewhat 
briefly perhaps, to do so in a way that may be in- 
teresting to my readers, and offensive to no one. 

It is not difficult to serve such masters as the 
Turks ; they are always kind and considerate to 
strangers in their service, and if one avoids offend- 
ing them in certain matters on which they are sup- 
posed to have prejudices, and if one while giving 
advice avoids offensive censure, it is easy to get 
on. While serving in Turkey my principal busi- 
ness has been relating to naval matters, regarding 
which I have had to propose certain progressive 
changes such as are being constantly introduced 
into foreign navies, more especially the English. 
These changes proposed by me have generally been 
accepted, and I can but think that many beneficial 
alterations have been introduced into the Turkish 
Navy tending to improve that service. 

His Majesty the Sultan has named me one of 
his special A.D.C.'s, and in that capacity I have 
had at times, and still have, important duties. 

His Majesty always treats me with the greatest 
kindness and consideration, and I have a sincere 
respect and affection for him, both as a sovereign, 
and, if I may presume to say so, as a friend. 



CHAPTER XVIII 



THE WAR WITH RUSSIA 



IN 1877 the war with Russia broke out, and 
through the absence of any powerful naval 
enemy, little in the way of hard fighting was 
done ; still some very important service was per- 
formed by the Turkish fleet, much more so than is 
generally known. 

In the first place we had to hold the Black Sea, 
with its extensive sea-board. We defended Sulina 
and Batoum against Russian attack by land, and 
by torpedo on the sea. We had to watch the little 
swift packet boats equipped as men-of-war, which 
constantly made a rush from Sebastopol and 
Odessa (as they did, by the way, in the Crimean 
War, when twenty to thirty English and French 
ships were watching them), and when they could 
get a chance burnt some unfortunate little coast- 
ing craft, sending the crews of such vessels adrift 
in small boats to make the best of their way to the 
nearest land. In addition to the above-named 

services, the Turkish fleet was called upon con- 
213 



214 HOBART PASHA 

stantly to transport large bodies of troops from 
port to port. 

On one memorable occasion the Turkish men- 
of-war and transports conveyed the whole of 
Suleiman Pasha's army, consisting of forty thou- 
sand men, from the coast of Albania to Salonica, 
a distance of some eight hundred miles, within the 
short space of twelve days, a feat, I venture to 
say, unheard of in the naval annals of this cen- 
tury. Sulina was held safely by the Turkish fleet 
until the end of the war. 

Batoum could not have been held by Dervish 
Pasha and his army had not the Turkish fleet been 
there to help him. In short, that fleet kept the 
command of the Black Sea during the whole of 
that disastrous war, cruising at times in the most 
fearful weather I have ever experienced, for twelve 
months in a sea almost without ports of refuge; 
and it is a remarkable fact that the Turks never 
lost a ship, constantly attacked though they were, 
as I shall show hereafter, by the plucky Russian 
torpedo boats, who frequently made rushes at them 
from Muscovite ports, and were only saved from 
destruction through the precautions taken against 
these diabolical machines, which come and go like 
flashes of lightning. It is true that in the Danube 
two small Turkish vessels of war were destroyed 
by torpedoes, but it must be borne in mind the 



WAR WITH RUSSIA 215 

Danube was under military law, and that the look- 
out kept on board these vessels was not by any 
means what it should have been. 

But I must repeat, as so many contrary reports 
have been spread, that no Turkish ironclad was 
injured by torpedoes in the Black Sea. 

I will explain hereafter how many attacks were 
made with no result whatever. Some few days 
before the war broke out I was sent to examine 
the Danube from a professional point of view, and 
it was soon made clear to me that much could be 
done, in the way of defending that great estuary, 
had nautical experience and the splendid material 
of which the Turkish sailor is made been properly 
utilised. But alas ! I found that, contrary to the 
views of His Majesty the Sultan, a line of action 
was followed showing that pig-headed obstinacy 
and the grossest ignorance prevailed in the councils 
of those who had supreme command in that river. 
I found that my advice and that of competent 
Turkish officers, in comparatively subordinate posi- 
tions like myself, was entirely ignored, and that 
few, if any, proper steps were taken to prevent 
the enemy's progress into Roumania, and later on, 
to stop his passing the Danube almost unopposed. 

On the day that war was declared I was at 
Rustchuk, the headquarters of the Turkish army. 
On that occasion I made a final effort, by making 



216 HOBART PASHA 

propositions which events have proved would have 
arrested the advance of the enemy. 

I was simply told to mind my own business, and 
ordered to immediately rejoin my ships, which 
were at the moment lying at the Sulina mouth of 
the Danube. 

It was all very well to tell me to do this ; but 
to do so was apparently not so easy of execution, 
for the reason that the Russians had no sooner 
declared war than they took possession of the 
Lower Danube, by planting fortifications on the 
hills commanding the river in the neighborhood 
of Galatz and Ibraila, at the same time laying 
down torpedoes across the river in great quantities 
(as regards the latter, it was so reported, though 
in my opinion it was no easy matter so quickly 
to place torpedoes). I informed the military 
commanders of this ; their answer was, " Go, and 
rejoin your ships via Varna, if you will only get 
out of this ; we don't want your advice." By 
this time, however, my professional pride was 
wounded, and I determined to do something to 
show my contempt for them all. 

The only thing left for me to do for the mo- 
ment was a little blockade-running, so I resolved 
to bring my ship back past the Russian barrier 
in the Lower Danube at all risks, instead of tamely 
returning by land. So great was the jealousy 



WAR WITH RUSSIA 217 

against me that I almost think the Turkish author- 
ities commanding in the Danube would have been 
pleased if I had failed, and so come to grief. I 
had with me a very fast paddle-steamer called the 
Rethymo; her captain and crew were what the 
Turks always are — brave as lions and obedient 
as lambs. 

I took on board a river pilot, whom I gave to 
understand that if he got me on shore I would 
blow his brains out. Before starting I sent for 
my officers and crew and told them of the perhaps 
unnecessary dangers we should run in passing the 
Russian barrier, and gave to all the option of 
leaving or going on. They decided to a man to 
go on. I arranged my time so as to pass Ibraila 
and Galatz during the night. We arrived to 
within thirty miles of the former place at about 
five o'clock in the evening, when I was met by a 
Turkish official who was leaving Ibraila on the 
war having broken out. He was fearfully ex- 
cited, and begged of me on his knees not to go to 
what he called certain destruction. He told me 
that he had seen the Russians laying down tor- 
pedoes that same day, that the batteries were 
numerous, and that they were aware of, my com- 
ing, &c, all of which I took with a considerable 
large grain of salt, and left him lamenting my mad 
folly, as he called it. 



218 HOBART PASHA 

Now I must be candid. I did not feel the 
danger. I calculated that to put down torpedoes 
in a current such as was in the Danube would be 
a matter of time, and probably they would not 
succeed after all. I had a plan in my head for 
passing the batteries, so as to render them harm- 
less. So in reality I was about to attempt no 
very impossible feat. Three hours after dusk we 
sighted the lights of Ibraila. The current was 
running quite five knots an hour; that, added to 
our speed of fifteen, made us to be going over the 
ground at about twenty knots. It was pitch dark, 
and I think it would have puzzled the cleverest 
gunner to have hit us, though they might have 
done so by chance. I determined not to give them 
that chance, by going so close under the bank that 
the guns could hardly be sufficiently depressed 
to hit us. 

As we approached the batteries to my horror a 
flash of red flame came out of the funnel (that 
fatal danger in blockade-running), on which sev- 
eral rockets were thrown up from the shore, and 
a fire was opened at where the flame had been 
seen. Meanwhile we had shot far away from the 
place, and closed right under the batteries. I 
heard the people talking ; every now and then they 
fired shot and musketry, but I hardly heard the 
•whiz of the projectiles. My principal anxiety 



WAR WITH RUSSIA 219 

was that we might get on one of the many banks 
so common in the Danube, and I had perhaps a 
little fear of torpedoes, especially when we passed 
the mouths of the little estuaries that run into 
the Danube; once we just touched the ground, but 
thank goodness we quickly got free, and though 
fired at by guns and rifles, went on unhurt. It 
took us exactly an hour and forty minutes to pass 
dangerous waters, and the early summer morning 
was breaking as we cleared all danger. I could 
not resist turning round and firing a random shot 
at the banks studded with Russian tents, now that 
I was able to breathe freely again. 

I must say that my pilot, whom I at first sus- 
pected of being a traitor in Russian pay, behaved 
splendidly. 

He told me he had never passed such a night 
of fear and anxiety: what with my cocked pistol 
at his head and the constant fear of putting the 
vessel on a bank, he certainly had had a bad time. 
However, I rewarded him well. On arrival at 
Toultcha, a small town near the mouth of the 
Danube, still held by the Turks, I found telegrams 
from headquarters at Rustchuk (the place I had 
left), inquiring if Hobart Pasha had passed 
Ibraila and Galatz, and ordering that if he had 
done so he was immediately to leave the Danube. 

I cannot express my annoyance, as even at that 



220 HOBART PASHA 

moment I could have brought a couple of small 
ironclads that were lying at Sulina into the river 
and played " old Harry " with the Russian army, 
then advancing into Roumania, via Galatz. The 
bridge near Galatz could certainly have been de- 
stroyed. It was hard on the gallant Turks, hard 
on the Sultan and his government, and hard on 
me, to see such magnificent chances thrown away. 
From that moment I trembled for the result of 
the war. I felt that, although the Turks had a 
splendid army, and a fleet even for a first-class 
European Power to be proud of, the obstinacy and 
stupidity of the commanders of the Danube were 
sure to cause disaster. 

Unhappily my prognostications came true. In 
war the first blow is half the battle, and it was 
sad to see such glorious troops outmanoeuvred at 
the very outset. His Majesty the Sultan in his 
wisdom has justly punished by banishment and 
disgrace these men who, instead of covering the 
Turkish nation with glory through the deeds of 
its army, were the cause of the defeat of the finest 
troops in the world. That the Russians might 
and would have been beaten, had the means in the 
hands of those commanding the Turkish army 
been properly utilised, is as clear as day. How- 
ever, it is not my business to comment on such mat- 
ters. 



WAR WITH RUSSIA 221 

I now return to my own element, and will en- 
deavor to describe some of the occurrences of the 
war in the Black Sea. The Russians had three 
lines of action in those waters. First, to capture 
Sulina, and to destroy the squadron lying at 
anchor in its roadstead ; second, to capture 
Batoum and its much-envied harbor ; third, the 
somewhat undignified action of sending out fast 
vessels, mostly mail boats, armed with a couple of 
guns, their object being to destroy the Turkish 
coasting trade. These vessels were most difficult 
to catch, as they always watched their opportunity 
to slip out of their strongholds when the Turkish 
ships were employed carrying troops, or otherwise 
engaged. There was, I venture to think, some 
illegality in this conduct of the Russian mail boats. 

These vessels were not regular men-of-war, and 
they did not take their prizes into port for adju- 
dication, as is usual in war, always burning what 
they could catch and capture. However, during 
war I suppose all must be considered as fair play. 

While on the subject, I will recount one or two 
exploits performed by these enterprising mail 
boats. When lying off Sulina, one of the iron- 
clad corvettes under my command arrived from 
Constantinople, where her captain reported having 
chased a well-known Russian mail steamer called 
the Vesta; that they had exchanged a few shots ; 



222 HOBART PASHA 

that he had not followed her because his deck was 
loaded with guns for the Sulina batteries. I 
thought no more about it till about a fortnight 
afterwards I saw in the Times a paragraph 
headed, " Turkish ironclad driven off and nearly 
destroyed by the Russian mail boat cruiser Vesta. 
This paragraph, which was founded on the official 
report of the captain of the Vesta, was almost 
sensational. It gave a graphic description of how 
the Vesta had engaged at close quarters a Turkish 
ironclad, killing her crew ; how officers in European 
uniform had been seen directing the working of 
the ironclad's guns, &c. ; how her sides were crim- 
son with the torrents of blood pouring from her 
decks, and how she would have been surely cap- 
tured had the Vesta been provided with sufficient 
ammunition to enable her to continue the bloody 
fight. It added that the gallant Russian com- 
mander was received with the greatest enthusiasm 
on his arriving at Sebastopol, and immediately 
promoted to high rank and covered with decora- 
tions. 

I could hardly believe my eyes when I read this 
utter nonsense. I know the Russians ; they are 
brave and loyal fellows, and few indeed are there 
among them who have done (to say the least of 
it) so foolish an act as to make so unfounded a 
report. 



WAR WITH RUSSIA 223 

However, the commander, whose name I will not 
mention, did not long wear his laurels. I sup- 
pose he trusted to the Turks saying nothing about 
it ; but the truth was at last made public. A court- 
martial was assembled to try the case, and I be- 
lieve he was dismissed from the service and de- 
prived of his decorations. At all events I know 
for certain that he was disgraced by his superiors, 
and held up to ridicule by his brother officers. 
Served him right! Swagger is always an error, 
and I don't think naval officers are generally given 
to it. 

The next exploit of these cruisers I shall refer to 
was one that came under my own eyes, and was 
exceedingly interesting. 

I was anchored with my flag-ship, a fine thirteen 
knot ironclad, and a couple of other vessels, at 
a port some few miles to the north of Varna, tak- 
ing in coals, when the look-out man reported that 
he saw on the horizon a column of smoke. I knew 
that this was not a Russian cruiser, because these 
vessels always burnt smokeless coal. I guessed, 
however, what it was ; namely, that one of the Rus- 
sian cruisers was burning an unfortunate coasting 
vessel. On looking more closely from the mast- 
head of the flag-ship, I saw the masts and two 
funnels of a steamer very near to the burning ship. 
The cruiser was somewhat inshore of the place 



224 HOBART PASHA 

where I was lying. He seems to have made my 
squadron out about the same time I had seen him, 
and at once made tracks, as the Americans say, to 
get out to sea. In doing so he had to near us 
considerably, so much so that before steam was 
ready in the flag-ship I could pretty well discern 
what the enemy was. Some persons may be sur- 
prised to hear that the marauding vessel was no 
less a craft than the magnificent yacht of the Em- 
peror of All the Russias, called the Livadia, which 
had condescended to the somewhat undignified 
work of capturing small Turkish coasting craft. 
Who can fancy the Victoria and Albert being sent 
to sea, during a war between England and France, 
to capture and destroy small coasting craft on the 
French shores ! However, there was the fact ; it 
was the Livadia, and no mistake. And now com- 
menced one of the most interesting chases I have 
ever seen. On our starting the yacht was about 
four miles ahead of us, steering a course that 
would take her straight to Sebastopol. She had 
got through all the necessary dangerous manoeuvre 
of crossing our bows, from her having been inshore 
of us, before we moved. 

The weather was lovely, not a ripple on the 
water, dead calm. 

We commenced the chase at 4 :30 p. m. Un- 
fortunately our decks were loaded with coal; how- 



WAR WITH RUSSIA 225 

ever, we made a clean thirteen knots. At first it 
seemed as if we were coming up with the chase ; so 
much so that I felt inclined to fire the long bow 
gun at her. But I always think and I say, from 
blockade-running experience, that firing more or 
less injures a vessel's speed ; so I refrained from do- 
ing so. As night closed in, a beautiful moon rose 
and made everything as clear as day. The equal- 
ity of our speed was most remarkable, insomuch as 
the distance between us did not vary a hundred 
yards in an hour. All night we were watching, 
measuring distances with nautical instruments, &c, 
hoping at moments that we were nearer, despairing 
at others that she was gaining from us. We threw 
overboard fifty or sixty tons of coal, to no avail; 
we could not get within shot of the Livadia, to 
capture which I would have given all I possessed. 
As day broke we saw the crew of the Livadia busily 
employed throwing overboard coal and water. 
Sebastopol was in sight, and she was running for 
dear life to that haven of safety. Lightening her 
had certainly a good effect, for it was sadly evi- 
dent to me that on doing so she drew ahead a little, 
but very little. Now I hoped she would burst her 
boiler or break down ever so little; but so it was 
not fated, and the Emperor's yacht escaped by 
the skin of her teeth into Sebastopol, under the 
protection of batteries that opened a tremendous 



226 HOBART PASHA 

fire on my ship on my approaching, forgetful of 
their existence: I was obliged to clear out of that 
pretty sharply or we should have been sunk. 

An ironclad corvette that accompanied me, 
though some miles astern at the finish, ran so close 
in that she had her rudder shot away, and we had 
the unpleasant task of towing her out under a 
fire more like a hailstorm of shot and shell than 
anything I can compare it to. I am told the 
Livadia would have shown fight. I have no doubt 
she would ; Russians always fight well : but I think 
the result would not have been doubtful, and the 
Emperor's crockery and glass, to say nothing of 
the magnificent gettings-up in the cabins, would 
have lost much of their lustre during an engage- 
ment. So the glory of taking the Emperor's 
yacht into the Bosphorus was not to be mine. I 
cannot express my disappointment at losing such a 
chance. The only consolation I have is that I 
really believe the brave Russians would have blown 
her up, rather than allow such a disgrace to fall 
on their flag. 

Since the war a Russian naval officer told me 
that he had under his command at Sebastopol, on 
the day of my chasing the Livadia into that port, 
seven torpedo boats, with which he volunteered to 
go out and attack us. His request was not al- 
lowed. We discussed at some length the probable 



WAR WITH RUSSIA 227 

result. These are my views and arguments. I 
said to him, " When I saw your boats coming out 
I should have steamed away. Now the speed of 
my frigate is thirteen knots. You would prob- 
ably have had a speed of nineteen to twenty at 
most. Thus your rate of approaching me would 
have been six knots, no great speed with which to 
approach a vessel armed with Nordenfelt guns, 
and six other guns also, en barbette, firing grape, 
shell, &c. I am convinced we should have de- 
stroyed all the torpedo boats." " Well, then," 
said the Russian officer, " I should have followed 
and attacked you during the night." " There 
again," I said, " I think you would have failed, 
because before dark you could not have got near 
enough to me, on account of the opposition you 
would have met with from my fire, to remark the 
course I steered after sunset, which course I should 
have frequently changed during the darkness. A 
ship cannot be seen in the dark, if she shows no 
light, at more than five hundred yards' distance, 
and a moving ship would have been most difficult 
to hit; besides which, if I had stopped and put 
down my defences, what could you have done?" 
This discussion ended in the Russian officer ad- 
mitting that he did not think he could have done 
much. 



CHAPTER XIX 

THE TURKISH FLEET DURING THE WAR 

TO return to the doings of the Turkish fleet 
in the Black Sea during the war: Sulina 
was a point from the beginning always 
aimed at by the Russians. In fact, according to 
my humble ideas, Russia went to war to get pos- 
session of Bessarabia, the key of the Danube, and 
Batoum, the key to Asia Minor, and in a great 
measure to our Indian possessions. I think the 
sentimental story of massacres in Bulgaria was 
merely a blind whereby to catch the sympathetic 
support of Europe, and more especially the Eng- 
lish philanthropists. I think this, because when 
the most awful cruelties were committed by the 
Bulgarians on the Turks after the war, we heard 
no outcry about massacres. However, I must not 
introduce politics into " Sketches " from a sailor's 
life; such would be out of place. Constant at- 
tacks were made by land and by sea on Sulina, 
which was held and defended by Turkish ships 
and their crews, who manned the small batteries 
they had planted at the mouth of the river. To 
228 



THE TURKISH FLEET 229 

the Russians, to destroy the Turkish squadron 
lying off that port was of great importance, as 
Sulina is entirely surrounded by water and great 
impassable marshes, which extend far inland, 
through which marshes the Danube runs, and thus 
can always be defended by ships. 

The Turkish squadron generally consisted of 
five or six ironclads, and as the Russians had not 
ships wherewith to attack these ironclads, torpedo 
attacks (of which so much was and is expected) 
were their only chance. 

My idea of defending these vessels when at 
anchor was by a cordon of guard-boats, with ropes 
made fast between them, so as to catch any at- 
tacking torpedo boat, either by fouling her screw 
as she advanced, or by stopping entirely her prog- 
ress. Moreover, a torpedo boat thus stopped 
would, by catching the rope, draw the guard-boat 
on either side of her, or right on top of her. I 
must admit that while torpedoes at that time were 
supposed to be in their infancy, the defence pre- 
pared against their attack was also very much in 
its infancy, so these preparations were of the most 
primitive description. 

The squadron, as I said, consisted of five ves- 
sels, which had been in the habit of standing out 
to sea every night, to avoid torpedo attacks. On 
the occasion I am writing about, they had returned 



230 HOBART PASHA 

to the anchorage on account of bad weather. A 
Russian steamer with five torpedo boats in tow 
started (as we afterwards learnt) from Odessa to 
hunt for the Turkish squadron, which, it was 
known to them through their spies, was in the 
habit of cruising off Serpent's Island, about eight 
miles from Odessa. The Muscovites were unable 
to find their enemy, and I don't wonder at it, for 
they were not in their usual cruising ground ; even 
had they been there, to find them would have been 
difficult, as the Turkish ships always cruised in 
open order, burnt smokeless coal, and showed no 
lights. On being disappointed in finding what she 
wanted at sea, the Russian vessel steamed towards 
the anchorage off Sulina. As the weather was 
bad, her commander decided not to attack, and 
I fancy had to cast off his torpedo boats. 

One of these boats, if not more (I have never 
been able to ascertain precisely what happened to 
the five torpedo boats that left Odessa), made a 
dash at the Turkish squadron ; the weather not 
permitting him to use his Whitehead, he decided 
to try what his pole torpedo would do. As he 
approached the headmost vessel, he found (as he 
explained afterwards to me) that something 
stopped his way, and he saw at the same time sev- 
eral black objects approaching him. Nothing 
daunted, he struggled to get close to the bows of 



THE TURKISH FLEET 231 

the ironclad ; when he got as near as he could man- 
age he fired his torpedo, without, however, doing 
any harm to his enemy. Scarcely had he done 
this when he found himself in the water and his 
boat gone from under him: the real facts being 
that the black objects he had seen were the guard- 
boats, which were closing on him, the ropes that 
connected them together having fouled his screw, 
and caused the disaster ; his boat was capsized and 
went to the bottom. Four or five of her crew were 
drowned, as he would have been, had he not been 
fished out of the water by the Turkish guard-boats, 
and made prisoner. 

The name of this daring naval officer was Put- 
skin. His cool courage was very amusing. When 
interrogated, while still in a half-drowned condi- 
tion, he exclaimed in excellent English, " Why the 
devil didn't I blow that ship up ? " He was asked 
if he had any idea what stopped him, and it was 
suggested to him that something must have fouled 
his screw. He answered, " I don't know what 
stopped me, but why the devil didn't I blow the 
ship up ? " I told him that I had a sort of notion 
he might be hanged for using such a fearful 
weapon. He said, " No brave man would hang 
me ; but why," &c. 

He seemed to have only one idea, and that was 
he was a fool for having failed. He was too good 



232 HOBART PASHA 

a man to let go, so we kept him till nearly the 
end of the war. 

Wherever he may be now he is a fine fellow, 
whose bravery I for one shan't forget in a hurry. 

A short time after the above-named occurrence 
the Russians attempted an attack upon Sulina by 
land and waiter, with what object I have never 
been able to understand ; as, if they had succeeded, 
they could not have held it so long as our ships 
were anchored in the offing. Perhaps their inten- 
tion was, by driving us out of the river, to utilise 
its position for torpedo attacks. 

I have explained that Sulina was surrounded by 
sea and vast marshes. Along the seashore there 
was a narrow causeway of sand, on which ten men 
could march abreast. The only other approaches 
were by sea and by the river, the latter, at about 
ten miles distance, being in the hands of the Rus- 
sians. As a defence we had placed on the beach, 
at about a gunshot's distance, several torpedoes, 
buried in the sand, and connected by electric wires 
with the batteries of Sulina. A simultaneous 
movement was made by three or four Russian gun- 
boats descending the river, and two regiments of 
troops accompanied by artillery were sent along 
the causeway. Suspecting something in regard to 
torpedoes, they drove before them as a sort of 



THE TURKISH FLEET 233 

advance guard about two hundred and fifty horses 
without riders, it being the duty of the poor 
animals to take the shock of the explosion should 
torpedoes be placed on the beach. And so they 
did, for, on the horses passing the spot where the 
torpedoes were placed, an explosion took place 
through which several horses were killed. The 
rest turned right back, and the causeway being 
very narrow, dashed amongst the advancing troops, 
causing the greatest confusion, so much so that 
the whole party had to retreat and we saw them 
no more. 

It is true that one of the small ironclads had 
about got the range of the advancing enemy along 
the sea-beach, so making their position rather pre- 
carious, but I believe that the real cause of the 
failure was the action of the horses. 

In the meantime, the light draft Russian gun- 
boats came down the river, and began to fire shell 
and shot at a long range at the small town and 
fortifications of Sulina. This was answered by the 
temporary batteries alone, the ships being out of 
range. Desultory fighting went on for about 
twenty-four hours, when the Russians, finding the 
hopelessness of the enterprise, especially now that 
the troops had retired, gave it up as a bad job 
and steamed up the Danube again. This was the 



234 HOBART PASHA 

only serious attack made upon Sulina, which Rus- 
sia could never have taken and held till she had 
destined the Turkish fleet. 

After this I went to Batoum, which place Der- 
vish Pasha was gallantly holding against Russia. 
He was sadly in want of naval help, as the Rus- 
sians had advanced by the sea-shore to within six 
miles of that much-coveted port. On arriving 
there I took the command of eight Turkish ships 
of war, besides transports that were constantly 
coming and going between Constatinople and 
Batoum with provisions, ammunition, &c, for the 
army and navy. Here, again, if the Russians 
could have disposed of the Turkish fleet they would 
have easily taken Batoum. By commanding the 
sea, even with a couple of vessels, they would have 
prevented supplies being sent. It must be remem- 
bered there was no way of supporting the soldiers 
and sailors except by sea. My first object was to 
drive the Russians, by the fire of the ships, more 
inland. This was easy enough, as of course the 
enemy had no guns with them to compare in range 
with those on board the ironclads. Some time 
after my arrival, however, they brought down two 
fifteen centimetre Krupp guns from Ardahan, guns 
that had a considerably longer range than our 
twelve-ton Armstrongs. They gave us some trou- 
ble; however, the position of the attacking camp 



THE TURKISH FLEET 235 

was changed so as to be out of range of our guns, 
a move in every way satisfactory to the Turkish 
military commander. 

This action of our fleet gave great annoyance 
to the enemy, and it was determined if possible to 
make our lying at Batoum a dangerous if not im- 
possible matter. This was to be done by the so- 
called almighty torpedo. I received notice from 
our secret agent at Sebastopol that a serious ex- 
pedition was being organised, that the Turkish 
ships at Batoum were to be destroyed or fright- 
ened away at any cost. Frightened away, indeed! 
To the uninitiated a torpedo is a thing to frighten 
any one away. We had heard of magnificent re- 
sults of torpedo trials in peace, how ships (I 
fancy only hulks) had been blown up, columns of 
water half a mile high being sent into the air, &c. 
Nothing, it was said, could save you. Whatever 
my ideas, however nervous I may have felt, I knew 
that those I was commanding had no fear — they 
don't know what it means, the more especially of 
a not understood possible casualty ; and though I 
was more enlightened as to torpedoes and their ac- 
cepted effects, I wasn't to show my people a bad 
example. When lying in bed in the middle of the 
night, having read the warning letter before re- 
tiring, I thought : — " Suppose one of these nasty 
things goes off and blows the flagship up at this 



236 HOBART PASHA 

moment. How pleasant! What cowardly things 
these are; no fair fight, up you go, unshriven. I 
have heard that a man who is hanged is likely to 
go to heaven ; I wonder if the same chance would 
be given to him blown up by a torpedo ? " This 
sort of feelings came over me. However, said I, 
" Let us see if we can prevent their being 
realised ; " so I went to work to try to do so. As 
a sportsman I calculated that to fire at a dark 
object in the night, especially when that object 
had a background of high hills such as we had at 
Batoum, was most difficult, so the first order I 
gave was no lights, not even a cigarette light ; utter 
darkness under severe penalties. Next, consider- 
ing that Batoum is a very small port, with an 
entrance difficult to find even in broad daylight, 
almost impossible in the night without the light- 
house as a guide, I ordered that the lighthouse 
should not be lighted. Then I arranged with the 
shore authorities that no lights should be seen in 
the town; this was more difficult, as there were 
many Russian friendlies in Batoum. 

However, the application of somewhat severe 
discipline made Batoum like a city of the dead 
after dark. 

In addition to these precautions I put a barrier 
of booms ahead of the ships lying in the port, 
placed guard-boats to watch it at the entrance 



THE TURKISH FLEET 237 

of the harbor, and having done all this, I bided my 
time. For some nights, rather sleepless to me, 
though to my disgust I heard my officers snoring 
all round me, nothing happened (though, as I 
heard afterwards, a good deal had been going on 
outside the harbor), when, at about three o'clock 
in the morning of the third or fourth night after 
I had received the warning, I heard a row going 
on in the direction of the guard-boats and an ex- 
plosion near to one of the outlying ships. I had 
hardly time to think, when something struck the 
chain of my flagship and seemed to spin past, like 
a fish in the water. Then dead silence. I im- 
mediately sent orders to the two fast cruisers, 
which were lying with steam up, to go to sea and 
reconnoitre. 

Suddenly I heard people on shore calling out (I 
forgot to mention that ships in Batoum harbor 
are always lashed to the shore). I sent my officer 
to reconnoitre, who found a gaping crowd stand- 
ing round what they thought was a large fish lash- 
ing his tail, but what in reality was an unexploded 
torpedo with the screw still in motion. 

On things being calm I went myself to see what 
had happened generally during the attack, and 
found that a torpedo had struck the bows of one 
of the ironclads on the belt, at the waterline at 
an angle, had exploded, and scarcely left a mark; 



238 HOBART PASHA 

that a second torpedo had, after passing through 
the planks on the defensive barrier I had placed, 
diverged from its course, and gone quietly on shore 
as far as the left of the squadron ; that a third, 
as I said, had struck the chain of the flagship and 
not gone off, but had run on to the beach. The 
parts of another torpedo were afterwards picked 
up, it evidently having exploded somewhere down 
below. So we could account for four torpedoes 
having been fired at us without effect ; probably 
there were more. Those that were on the beach 
were in a very perfect state, and as soon as we 
had rendered them harmless, we made prisoners of 
war of them. 

Now I have been since informed of what 
went on outside Batoum. It seems that for three 
nights two fast Russian steamers, carrying tor- 
pedo boats, had been looking for Batoum, and 
as one of my informants said, " We could not find 
it for love or money." A couple of hours before 
daylight they had steamed off, so as to be out of 
sight before break of day. At last they had 
bribed a man to light a fire in the hills behind the 
town, and so on the fourth night they got some- 
where near it, but they could not make out the 
ships on account of the dark land behind them. 
The time for steaming off having nearly come, they 
determined to have a shot at us, so fired five tor- 



THE TURKISH FLEET 239 

pedoes into what they thought the centre of the 
Turkish fleet, with what result we have seen. The 
person who told me was one of them, and said it 
was sickening work looking for Batoum. It is 
true the nights were fearfully dark, so that the 
shape of the land could not be made out. He said 
that without the traitor's light they could not 
have found us. 

I am not saying by this that one should always 
trust to darkness ; there are many other ways now 
of taking the sting out of torpedo attacks. It is 
needless to say that the steamers I sent out re- 
turned, having seen nothing. While the fleet was 
at Batoum, two or three more torpedo attacks 
were made on a smaller scale without effect; but 
I have bored my readers enough about torpedoes 
— all I know is that I can sleep now when in their 
vicinity. While in the Black Sea I several times 
went with two or three ships that could be spared 
from other duties and reconnoitred Sebastopol 
and Odessa, but being fully convinced of the help- 
lessness of few or even of many ships against the 
heavy batteries of the present day, I did no more 
than look about me, occasionally exchanging shots 
with the enemy. 

As to burning defenceless towns and villages, I 
have always been thoroughly adverse to such 
things, so I never undertook it. Some people 



240 HOBART PASHA 

think war should be made as horrible as possible; 
in this I do not agree. I could easily have burnt 
the Emperor's palace at Yalta, but did not think 
it expedient to do so. 

I have already spoken in general terms of the 
great services rendered by the ironclads in moving 
the troops about, but I feel that, in justice to the 
gallant crews of the squadron I had the honor to 
command during the war, I ought not to bring this 
portion of my narrative to a close without mention- 
ing more particularly a piece of work of that 
nature executed under my immediate direction. 

The capture of Soukhoum-Kaleh had been fol- 
lowed up by the despatch of an expedition of some 
4,000 men of all arms to a place some thirty miles 
down the coast, called Tchamchira. The military 
commander at Soukhoum had some idea, I believe, 
that this force would be able to make its way in- 
land, and thus encourage risings amongst the tribes 
against the detested Muscovite rule. The country, 
however, was too unfavorable for the advance of 
invading troops, being swampy ground with thick 
bush where it was not an impenetrable forest. 
The Russians also got wind of the intended move- 
ment, and to make a long story short, had managed 
to collect a large opposing force. The expedition 
was landed, but that is all. Before much could 
be done to secure the position as a base — whilst 



THE TURKISH FLEET Ml 

the men in fact were making entrenchments — the 
Russians, who under cover of the forest that ex- 
tended right down to the beach on either side had 
been stealthily making their preparations, at- 
tacked them on all sides, and but for the covering 
fire of the ironclads, fortunately still at anchor 
there, would undoubtedly have driven them into 
the sea. 

The result of this action enabled the force to 
establish itself in the village, and hold possession 
of the small belt of cleared ground around it, the 
extreme limit of which was still within the range 
of the guns of the ironclads. 

The position of this force, however, daily grew 
worse. The Russians had captured the fords, by 
which their retreat to Soukhoum was cut off. 
They were completely surrounded, and only owed 
their preservation to the continual presence of 
an ironclad. Under these circumstances it was 
thought advisable to withdraw the men, and Derv- 
ish Pasha entrusted me with the task. To give 
an idea of the precarious position of this force, 
I may mention that, as I approached the place in 
my flagship, we heard the sound of smart can- 
nonading, and I found the guard-ship engaged 
with a battery of field-pieces. The Russians had 
recently received a large accession of force, and 
several field-guns of large calibre ; and so, not con j 



242 HOBART PASHA 

tent with troubling the camp daily with an enfilad- 
ing fire, had thought to try conclusions with the 
heavy guns afloat. On our appearance the action 
ceased, the Russians withdrawing their battery 
into the safe shelter of the forest. The Russian 
fire had been well directed, and had the guns been 
of heavier calibre, considerable damage would have 
been inflicted. As it was, the upper works and 
rigging were cut about a great deal, and two men 
killed and four wounded on board the ironclad. 

After a conference with the general in command, 
I proceeded to Soukhoum to make arrangements for 
transport. I had hardly arrived there when a 
message from Tchamchira arrived, urgently de- 
manding assistance, as the Russians were advanc- 
ing in great force. I hurried back with all the 
vessels I could collect to Tchamchira, three iron- 
clad corvettes and two wooden paddle-wheel trans- 
ports. Fortunately the Russian attack had not 
commenced, and the arrival of my squadron prob- 
ably led to its postponement until too late. To 
remove 4,000 men, bag and baggage, with several 
batteries of field-pieces and a large amount of am- 
munition, was no easy task with the small amount 
of transport at my command. I made, however, 
what I considered to be the best disposition pos- 
sible under the circumstances. 

The corvettes and the paddle transports were 



THE TURKISH FLEET 243 

moored in as close to the shore as possible, my 
intention being to cram them with men and stores 
first, leaving my flagship free to the last to ma- 
noeuvre off the Russian camp and shell it, should 
the slightest opposition be offered to the embarka- 
tion. The work commenced at daylight, and was 
actively carried on throughout the day and follow- 
ing night, the last batch of men coming off at 
dawn. The men were taken away from under the 
very teeth, as it were, of the Russians. The ships 
in shore were well within rifle range, and the boats 
passing to and fro were exposed the whole time to 
a fire from hidden foes. The enemy had been evi- 
dently overawed by my preparations, and doubt- 
less thought it would be better for them to allow 
the invading force to retire unopposed. 

To avoid the chance of grounding, in case I 
should have to use the frigate fire to cover the 
embarkation, a volunteer crew had proceeded off 
the Russian camp during the night, and laid down 
a line of buoys, to show the limit of distance to 
which the shore might be approached with safety. 
These buoys, glistening in the sunlight, doubtless 
suggested to the Russians that something dreadful 
was in store for them if they attempted to fire a 
gun, and so they contented themselves with watch- 
ing from the trees, amongst the branches of which 
we saw a number of them perched like so many 



244 HOBART PASHA 

birds of prey. The whole credit of the embarka- 
tion is due to the efficient manner in which the 
naval officers under my command carried out the 
instructions given them, and the great docility of 
the Turkish soldiers. Soon after sunset the gen- 
eral and staff left the shore, and their example 
was followed by every military officer of any rank ; 
so that the whole work devolved upon those I had 
placed in command of the beach and the boats. 

The men marched down quietly by themselves 
and everything went on like clockwork. I must 
confess that I passed a most anxious night, as I 
knew not but what at any moment the enemy might 
make a rush into the entrenchments the Turks were 
abandoning, in order to claim a victory. My own 
ship was getting lumbered up, and I knew that 
before long it would be impossible to work more 
than one or two of the guns in case of need. That 
the Russians, however, could not know this, was 
my comfort; but I must own that it was a great 
relief to me when the last detachment left the shore. 
The poor fellows had been holding the outposts 
all night. They came in at the double, and little 
time was lost over their embarkation. 

We steamed off at once to Soukhoum, and there 
disembarked the expedition. Shortly after this I 
was called upon to prepare for a veritable exodus. 
The evacuation of Soukhoum had been decided 



THE TURKISH FLEET 245 

upon, but His Imperial Majesty felt that the poor 
people, who had been expecting a permanent de- 
liverance from the Russian yoke, could not be aban- 
doned to those whose vengeance they had excited. 
Intimation was therefore given that all those de- 
sirous of leaving the country should be carried to 
Turkish territory, and provided with lands to 
form new settlements. The whole population 
pretty well made up its mind to leave, and came 
marching into Soukhoum with their flocks and 
herds, and household goods and chattels. Suffice 
it to say that, with the vessels under my command, 
I shipped off and landed at Batoum, Trebizonde, 
Sinope, and other ports on the Turkish coast some- 
thing like 50,000 people, counting men, women, 
and children, within the space of a fortnight. 



CHAPTER XX 



SPORT IN TURKEY 



I WILL now endeavor to give my readers some 
idea of life at Constantinople. If the resi- 
dent is a sportsman he can find plenty of 
amusement, game of all descriptions being plenti- 
ful. I may say that the shooting begins about 
September 1, when great flights of quails pass the 
environs of Constantinople, from the threatening 
winter of Russia to the warmer climate of Egypt, 
and afford capital amusement. But really to en- 
joy the sport it is necessary to go somewhat far, 
within ten miles of Constantinople. The fields 
during the quail season are filled with so-called 
sportsmen to such an extent that one has every 
chance of being mistaken for a quail, and potted 
accordingly. I have counted at St. Stephano, a 
place about nine miles from Stamboul, celebrated 
for treaties and quails, both in due season, more 
than five hundred sportsmen accompanied by howl- 
ing curs of every description. Such a sight is 
worth looking at, but for sport, well — it is better 
to leave gun and dogs at home. 
246 



SPORT IN TURKEY 247 

I once ventured out among the motley crowd of 
quail-shooters ; there happened to be a flight of 
quails, so the fire kept up very much resembled a 
field-day on Southsea Common. I was hit all over 
with (thank goodness !) very small shot, and made 
a rapid retreat to save my skin from perforation. 

However, going some distance along the coast, 
away from the enemy, one may at times get capital 
sport during the months of September and Octo- 
ber ; for example, a single gun may bag a hundred 
and fifty to two hundred quails in a day. 

After the quail comes the partridge shooting, 
which is very good, especially in the islands of the 
Turkish archipelago, where there are great num- 
bers of red-legged partridges affording famous 
sport. 

To properly enjoy the shooting in Turkey a 
yacht is necessary, as the best of it is to be found 
in the islands and near to the sea-coast, in places 
quite inaccessible to roads. 

For example, the islands of Mitros, Lemnos, and 
Mytilene abound in partridges, and the shooting 
there is really capital. 

Either by bringing a yacht from England, or by 
hiring one at Constantinople, the real sportsman 
may have great amusement while shooting, with 
Constantinople as headquarters. He will find in 
Asia Minor deer of all descriptions, wild boars and 



248 HOBART PASHA 

wolves. Then he will have capital sport with 
geese, ducks, woodcocks, partridges, and snipe. 

Occasionally he must rough it somewhat while 
sleeping in villages some little distance from the 
sea-coast for a night or two, instead of retiring 
on board his floating home, and on this head I 
would give a word of advice to the sportsman. 
Always take up your quarters in a Turkish village, 
if possible, in preference to a Greek village. At 
the former you will find the traditional hospitality 
of the Oriental, even among the very poor people, 
practised in every sense of the word ; whilst in the 
latter you will be exploits (there is no English 
word that signifies as well what I mean) to the 
last degree, even to the pilfering of your car- 
tridges. 

I have seen on arriving at a Turkish village 
every one vie with the other, and doing their very 
utmost to make the sportsman and his party com- 
fortable. I have seen " harems," such as they 
are, cleaned out and prepared as a sleeping apart- 
ment, all the inmates huddling together in some 
little corner. I have remarked one old woman 
arrive with a couple of eggs, another with what 
was perhaps her pet fowl, to be sacrificed at the 
altar of hospitality — in fact, only one idea 
seemed to animate them, namely, hospitality, and 
it is touching to see how they shrink from the prof- 



SPORT IN TURKEY 249 

fered reward made by the sportsman on leaving 
these kind though poor and long-suffering people. 

There are different kinds of deer to be found 
in Asia Minor, which strangely enough imitate the 
habits of the inhabitants, Greek, Turk, and Arme- 
nian, by not herding together. 

First, there are the large red deer which gen- 
erally inhabit the high mountains and are difficult 
to get, except when the winter snow drives them 
down into the lower grounds. I have been fortu- 
nate enough to kill several of these splendid animals 
during my sojourn in Turkey. I will give my 
readers an account of how I shot two of them. 
One day during the winter, when the mountains 
were covered with snow, I received news that three 
deer of the largest description were in a ravine 
at the foot of a mountain some six hours' distance 
from Ismidt. I immediately started off in pur- 
suit. I must mention that all persons of high 
rank in Turkey have, or had at the time I write 
of, by their shooting firman, the right to call upon 
the villagers in the neighborhood in which they 
are shooting to assist in driving or searching for 
game. In my case it was not necessary to take 
advantage of such an offer; every one was on the 
alert for my arrival. The people told me that 
that very morning they had seen the noble beasts 
I was after, grazing outside the wood. So 



250 HOBART PASHA 

gathering the villagers, boys carrying horns, men 
(much against my will) carrying guns, accom- 
panied by every available dog, from the grand 
shepherd's dog to the yapping cur of the village, 
off we started. 

The ravine was thickly wooded, and extended 
far up the mountain, where it ended in a bare spot 
without trees. To this place I went alone, leav- 
ing the crowd behind me with directions not to 
move till I was in my place, which instruction they 
most strictly followed. After half an hour's walk 
I arrived at the place I have named. I had hardly 
time to regain my breath when I heard a row below 
me as if Bedlam had been let loose. I loaded my 
gun with buckshot in one barrel and ball in the 
other, and remained as quiet as a mouse. As the 
noise of the beaters and dogs approached me, I 
heard a crash in the bushes within about forty 
yards of me, and presently a magnificent stag as 
big as a cow came slowly out of the cover, looking 
behind him, evidently not expecting an enemy in 
front. As soon as he was well clear of the bushes, 
I fired at him with buckshot and killed him dead. 

I hardly had time to think, when, with a tremen- 
dous rush, two other large deer broke out of the 
wood straight at me at full gallop. I fired a bullet 
at the foremost one, which turned back into the 
woods apparently wounded, and so it proved, for 



SPORT IN TURKEY 251 

it ran among the beaters, evidently having lost its 
head, and was soon despatched among dogs, men 
and guns. He was a stag also, and as I claimed 
to have shot him, I may say that I had the luck 
to shoot a brace of splendid stags right and left. 

There is not a sportsman in Europe who would 
not have been delighted at such a chance of red 
deer like these; such as are not seen anywhere ex- 
cept in Asia Minor. The largest one had nineteen 
points to his antlers, weighed when cleaned a hun- 
dred and fifteen okes, equal to three hundred and 
twenty pounds English measure, and certainly was 
larger than any stag I have ever met with either 
in Scotland or in Austria. During the sixteen 
years that I have passed in the East I have only 
succeeded in killing four of these splendid animals. 
This I attribute very much to the want of proper 
deerhounds, which unfortunately I have not been 
able to procure. 

The crowd of beaters make so much noise that 
the deer slip away at the sides of the thick covers 
unseen, whereas dogs would drive them more in a 
straight line towards the shooters if they are prop- 
erly posted. In addition to this, it is always a 
great advantage when the hounds give tongue, 
and so warn the sportsman of the whereabouts of 
the game. These hounds, called " colpoys," can 
be procured in Roumania and Hungary. 



252 HOBART PASHA 

There is another description of deer found near 
the sea-coast in some parts of Asia Minor, which I 
will describe. It is in fact the pure wild fallow 
deer that stocks the parks of Europe, and if I am 
rightly informed is only to be found wild in Asia 
Minor, and even there it is rare. I understand 
that in India or in Africa, where there are hun- 
dreds of different sorts of deer, the real fallow is 
not to be found. 

While shooting at a place called Camaris, near 
to Gallipoli, two years since, I discovered several 
herds of these deer, beautiful creatures, wild as 
hawks, and accordingly laid myself out to shoot 
some of them if possible. I tried driving, stalk- 
ing, and every manoeuvre to circumvent them, with- 
out success. At last one day I started with my 
beaters to a place where there were many tracks 
of fallow deer. I was posted at a sort of small 
mountain pen, having on one side of me a young 
friend of mine, and at the other a native (these 
fellows won't go out unless they are allowed to 
carry their guns). 

Shortly after the beaters had begun to halloo, 
a fallow hind glided by between me and my young 
friend, like a ghost. Not a sound in the wood 
gave notice of its approach. It was even quieter 
in its movements than a hare would have been. I 
put up my gun to fire, but seeing my friend's head 



SPORT IN TURKEY 253 

right in the way and in a line with its muzzle, I 
waited a second, but the deer was gone. I had 
scarcely got over my disappointment when I heard 
the branches breaking in the wood very near to 
me, and suddenly a deer sprang right over my 
head, taking a flying leap, like a hunter would 
do over a fence. 

This unusual action on the part of the deer 
called for unusual action on my part. As he had 
taken a flying leap over my head, I took a flying 
shot at him a second before he landed on the other 
side of me. The result was that he rolled over 
like a rabbit, shot from underneath through the 
heart. This deer proved to be a very fine speci- 
men of the fallow, every point showing him to be 
of that species, except his antlers, which were 
quite straight. This I cannot account for ; the 
natives, who had remarked this deer on several 
occasions feeding with the herd of fallow deer, 
called it the cassic boa, which means " straight- 
horned." Some time after this I had some good 
sport with the fallow deer. Having got more ac- 
customed to their habits, I found that it was of 
no use trying to approach them, their scent being 
too keen, their eyesight too sharp ; the only way 
to get them is by very careful, in fact I may say 
scientific, driving. 

Good boar shooting may be had by going some 



254 HOBART PASHA 

little distance from Constantinople. It usually is 
done either by beaters or with boarhounds ; but I 
have had very good sport at boar while hunting 
for woodcocks and pheasants, in what may be 
called covert shooting — not exactly English cov- 
ert shooting, in which almost every tree is known 
by the keepers, but in coverts of great extent, in 
which there are almost impassable thickets, made 
still more so by a well-known bramble called the 
" wait-a-bit," a thing that hooks on to your eye- 
lids as you pass. 

There it is that in these coverts spaniels, half- 
English, half country-bred dogs, do frequently 
the work of beaters, and it is a strange fact that, 
while piggy starts at once from his lair at the 
approach of the boarhounds, he will not budge an 
inch for the little yapping spaniel, whom he treats 
with contempt. 

I have known many instances when, on hearing 
a jolly row in the covert, I have crawled in on 
my hands and knees, and found a boar being 
bayed by my spaniels — in fact, I have killed more 
pigs in this way than in any other. The danger 
is that you may have your dogs killed by the 
boar ; this has happened to me on one or two oc- 
casions, more especially with young dogs. 

I had once a cunning old spaniel dog (poor 
Dick well known to most sportsmen out here), 



SPORT IN TURKEY 255 

who has frequently come out of the wood with his, 
mouth full of pig's hair, he evidently having torn 
the hair off the animal while laying in his lair. 
(Dick was never hurt by a pig.) I have often 
surrounded, with my brother sportsmen and my- 
self, large bushes in which the piggies were se- 
curely hidden, driven them out, and shot them as 
one would do hares or rabbits. 

I have heard a good deal of the danger of pig 
shooting, on account of the savage propensities 
of the animal ; but I have found that, with very 
rare exceptions, the Anatolian wild boar always 
runs. It is true that they (she or he, the females 
are the most savage) have a nasty knack of giving 
a sort of jerk with their heads, when fighting or 
even passing an enemy, and that jerk means to a 
man the ripping up of his leg from his heel to his 
thigh, to a dog the tearing open of his entrails. 

On one occasion I was out cock shooting, when 
some shepherds' dogs in a valley adjoining that 
in which I was walking started a large wild boar, 
a beast they call a solitaire, from the fact that 
he is always seen after a certain time of life alone. 
The animal made for a ridge dividing the valleys ; 
on getting there he passed along the sky-line, 
about eighty yards from where I was. I changed 
my cartridges and fired a ball at the pig, who 
rushed away, apparently unshot ; on going to the 



256 HOBART PASHA 

spot, however, where he had passed when I fired, 
I found some drops of blood. This blood I traced 
for about half a mile, till I came to a large clump 
of bushes into which my spaniels dashed, evidently 
close to their game. I heard a tremendous row 
in the bushes, and had hardly time to prepare when 
the great beast with his eyes all bloodshot and 
foaming at the mouth rushed straight at me. I 
was on a narrow path, from which there was no 
escape, as the boar was tearing up it, followed by 
the dogs. I fired a ball straight in his face, at 
the distance of about two yards, in spite of which 
he rushed straight on, knocked me clean over, and 
while passing me made the usual dangerously effec- 
tive jerk I have alluded to above, by which he 
cut my boot from the ankle to the thigh, and 
drew a little blood just above and inside of the 
knee ; after which the boar rushed headlong for 
about thirty yards and dropped dead. I found 
that my bullet had smashed through his forehead 
straight between the eyes and gone into his brain. 
He was an enormous brute, weighing when 
cleaned twenty-one stone, and carrying the finest 
tusks I have seen anywhere as belonging to a wild 
boar. I only had one man with me ; we were what 
may be called eight miles from anywhere. Still I 
was determined not to leave my prize ; so I sent my 
man for a country wagon, and sitting down on my 



SPORT IN TURKEY 257 

now harmless beast, smoked cigarettes and waited 
quietly till the vehicle came. 

Now, apropos of wild boar attacking people, 
I am convinced that this animal had no intention 
of attacking me. He was, though badly wounded 
by the first shot, running from the dogs, and I 
got in his way. Voila tout! 

On only one other occasion I nearly came to 
grief while boar-shooting. On my arriving at a 
Turkish village one night, I was told that there 
was an enormous boar in the neighborhood, who 
for a long time had been the terror of the country, 
inasmuch as he, accompanied by a large party of 
the pig tribe, had rooted up the crops all round 
the village, destroyed gardens, and tradition even 
said had killed children and eaten them (this latter 
story I don't take in). However, the poor people 
prayed me with tears in their eyes to rid them of 
their enemy, which I promised to do if possible. 
So the next morning off we started in the follow- 
ing order: first, myself and friends, accompanied 
by the elders of the village armed with old-fash- 
ioned guns ; then the young men with knives and 
big sticks, the women and children bringing up 
the rear as lookers-on. 

I and my two friends were escorted into the 
centre of a large wood, in which very original 
seats m trees had been knocked up for us. The 



258 HOBART PASHA 

object of these seats was for our personal safety, 
but I as a sportsman saw at once that to be up 
a tree was not only advantageous in that respect, 
but also that we should be much more invisible, 
hidden among the branches of a tree, than by 
being stationed on the ground. So we mounted 
our trees, and the beaters went into the woods 
some half a mile from us. I never heard such a 
row as they made when they began the drive ; they 
beat drums, fired guns, rang bells, and it was 
evident to me that no wild beast would hold to his 
lair under such a torrent of abuse. I found the 
words they were using were curses on the wild 
boar. I saw two or three fallow deer glide past 
me, with their usual ghostlike silence, and shortly 
afterwards the woods very near me seemed to shake 
with something coming. Suddenly some fifteen to 
twenty wild boar appeared among the bushes, com- 
ing straight towards me. The first of these was 
an enormous brute, evidently the boar we wanted. 

I heard shots on either side of me from my 
friends, but I kept my eye on the big boar. To 
my astonishment he came right under the tree 
where I was sitting, and stopped to listen. 

He cocked his head on one side, looked all round 
him, but forgot to look up the tree he was quite 
close to, in which was his enemy. 

Taking advantage of this I fired a ball and an 



SPORT IN TURKEY 259 

S.S.G. cartridge into him, before he could make 
up his mind which way to go ; he gave a tremendous 
grunt and rolled over. I had not time to be over- 
joyed at my luck before I found myself rolling 
on the ground alongside of my victim, who, not 
being dead, was by no means a pleasant compan- 
ion. The fact is that the seat on which I had 
been perched, having been very carelessly put up, 
had given way, and down I came from a height of 
about twelve feet. The branches of the tree had 
broken my fall, but my gun had fallen out of my 
hand and I had sprained my ankle, so that I was 
in rather an awkward position. The boar was 
shot through the spine, and could not get along, 
though he made frantic efforts to get at me. 

It was of no use my calling out for help ; 
everybody was calling out, everybody was excited, 
firing at the pigs that were running about 
in all directions. At the moment when I began 
to think affairs somewhat serious (I tried to get 
up and walk, but could not do so on account of 
my ankle), as the boar was crawling towards me, 
looking very mischievous, two great shepherd's 
dogs arrived on the scene, and went straight in 
for my enemy. Poor beast! He made a gallant 
fight; he could hardly move, but he could use his 
head, and he tore one of the dogs open in a fright- 
ful way ; then two or three men came up, but they 



260 HOBART PASHA 

were afraid to go near to the boar. I made them 
hand me my gun that was lying on the ground near 
me, with which I soon put a stop to the battle. 

Then all the people began to muster round their 
dead enemy, and it was laughable to see and hear 
how they abused and kicked the body of the pig. 
How to get the carcass away was the next ques- 
tion. We sent for two wagons and four or five 
Christians (as the Turks won't touch pig), one 
to carry me, the other the boar; so, after being 
placed in the wagons, we made with piggy a tri- 
umphant return to the village. Luckily the vil- 
lage was on the sea-shore, and my yacht was lying 
close to the land, so I got on board comfortably ; 
but it was several days before I could walk. 

I believe that that pig was nasty, and would 
have given me the jerk if he could have done so. 
Five other boar were killed on that occasion, one 
of my friends killing two ; but I had the honor of 
killing the boar of the period in that part of the 
world. While referring to that neighborhood, I 
would mention that it was within five miles of the 
place I have been writing about that poor Cap- 
tain Selby, of H.M.S. Rapid, was killed, some 
two years ago. There are people who think that 
he was attacked and murdered by robbers. Such 
is not the case ; his death was a most unfortunate 
occurrence brought on by a misunderstanding. 



SPORT IN TURKEY 261 

It is true that the man who shot poor Selby 
was an ignorant savage, but there was no pre- 
meditation. It was a word and a blow. The lat- 
ter, though inexcusable to the last degree, was 
given by a ruffian whose class is in the habit of 
shooting and stabbing one another (let alone 
strangers, whom they detest) at the slightest 
provocation. They are not natives of Turkey, 
but come of strange tribes who live far away and 
are hired to guard the sheep in the winter months, 
returning to their homes in the summer. I went 
myself to the spot where the sad occurrence took 
place shortly afterwards, and found the people 
very penitent and very frightened. Let us hope 
that the punishment awarded to the principal 
actors in the sad affair will be a salutary warning 
for the future. 

As brigandage may be considered as in some 
way connected with sporting, inasmuch as many 
refrain from going out shooting when they fear 
being robbed and murdered, I will say a few words 
about brigandage in Anatolia. 

I have been for seventeen years an ardent lover 
of sport in Turkey, and have generally shot in 
Asia Minor. I have slept in villages that were 
supposed to be inhabited by brigands. I have 
been almost alone among an armed crowd of beat- 
ers, all of whom had the reputation of being rob- 



262 HOBART PASHA 

bers, but I have never been robbed or threatened 
with robbery. Perhaps there exists a sort of sym- 
pathy between brigands and sportsmen, for I can- 
not call to mind any instance of a sportsman being 
robbed. It is true that sometimes a fat financier, 
or rich rentier, who may have called himself a 
sportsman, has been carried off and ransom de- 
manded for him, but a real sportsman never. 

It is true that in some of the villages where 
dwell the peoples of a nation I am not supposed to 
love, you are liable to and probably will be exploits 
to a considerable extent in the way of pilfering 
cartridges, &c, but it is their nature to. So, 
brother sportsman, when you come out here take 
your abode in Turkish villages. 



CHAPTER XXI 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 



I HAVE mentioned, in what I have written 
above relating to sport, the name of a some- 
what celebrated spaniel of mine, whose name 
was Dick. 

The commencement of this bow-wow's career was 
as strange as the many adventures he afterwards 
went through. When he was quite a young dog, 
he once worked with me all day in ice and snow, 
and at last fell down lifeless. A heavy snowstorm 
was raging, and as poor Dick seemed quite dead, 
we made him a grave in the snow and covered him 
up with leaves and bushes. We accomplished this 
with difficulty, on account of the blinding snow 
and the streams that were much swollen by tor- 
rents from the mountains. Dick's burial-place 
was about eight miles from where the vessel was 
lying. We all got on board that night. I was 
deeply grieved at the loss of the dog, who had 
already shown great promise as a first-class sport- 
ing dog, a most difficult thing to procure in this 
country. What was our astonishment the next 
263 



264 HOBART PASHA 

morning at daylight to see Dick on the beach, 
making piteous howls to draw attention to his 
whereabouts. He was warmly welcomed, as may 
be supposed; he did not seem a bit the worse for 
his brief sojourn in the grave, and went out shoot- 
ing again the same day as happy as ever. This 
enthusiastic little spaniel was always doing strange 
things ; he followed every fox and every badger 
into their holes, and we have had, time after time, 
to dig him out covered with blood and fearfully 
mauled, after having passed perhaps twenty-four 
hours in the earth. 

Mr. Dick generally hunted alone, occasionally 
coming near to see that I was all right. Now 
this sounds bad for Dick's qualities as a sporting 
dog, but such a dog is necessary in a thickly- 
wooded region such as I shot in, when one wants 
to know what is in the country. 

Dick, when he found anything, barked loudly; 
and this drew attention to the fact that there was 
game in that quarter. Sometimes, of course, he 
drove the game away ; at others he drove it to- 
wards me. At all events he went to places where 
I never could have gone. On one occasion I heard 
a great noise among some long reeds near a lake 
where I was duck shooting — Dick barking, some 
other animal making a strange noise. This went 
on so long that at last I went to see what was the 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 265 

matter. After much trouble I got into the reeds 
and approached the noise, which was momentarily 
getting worse. On coming close I found an ani- 
mal about Dick's size standing on its hind legs 
and fighting with its fore paws, Dick covered with 
blood, fighting hard and watching an opportunity 
to close with his enemy. On my approach the 
animal dropped on to fore paws and endeavored 
to escape, on which Dick jumped on to him, thus 
making it very difficult for me to use my gun. 
However, at last, by watching my opportunity, I 
fired a shot which disposed of the fighting powers 
of the beast, which turned out to be a very large 
badger. I never could understand what he was 
doing so far away from his place of refuge. Was 
he after ducks, or what? The animal was at least 
a quarter of a mile away from dry land, being 
in the middle of a marsh overgrown with reeds. 
Another of Mr. Dick's adventures ended more 
unfortunately for him, as I fear he never got over 
its effects. I again, as on the last occasion, heard 
him evidently furiously engaged with something 
in a thick wood. After crawling on my hands 
and knees for some time, I found Dick and two 
other of my spaniels in furious combat with an 
enormous wild cat, which when I came up was hold- 
ing her own against the dogs. The beast got her 
back against a tree, and was fighting all three 



266 HOBART PASHA 

dogs, keeping them at a respectful distance. My 
man seized a piece of wood, more like a little tree 
than a stick, and made a blow at the cat, which 
blow unfortunately came down with great force 
on Dick's head. The poor dog lay senseless for 
some time, and then crawled away, seeming to say, 
" I'll have nothing more to do with you." He 
never recovered from that blow, and became quite 
a different dog, d} r ing some months afterwards. 

The feathered game shooting is very good in 
the neighborhood of Constantinople. Pheasants, 
though rare, may be obtained, five or six in a day. 
I have killed fifteen to my own gun, and with a 
party of three we bagged sixty-six in three days. 

Snipe shooting is also very good. An idea of 
the bags that may be made will be seen when I 
say that at Besika Bay, close to the Dardanelles, 
I killed in three days three hundred and three 
snipe, an average of one hundred and one a day. 
When there is snow lying on the hills there are 
plenty of cock ; myself and two friends having 
killed in three days two hundred and ninety-eight 
long-bills. 

My best bag in cock has been sixty-three in one 
day's shooting alone. I have lately taken to punt- 
ing after ducks, and have been very successful. 
One gets twenty to thirty a day, and occasionally 
a swan. I once killed four of the latter with one 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 267 

shot from ray punt gun (one of Holland & Hol- 
land's). 

Hares are not very numerous; to get three or 
four in a day is counted good luck; but one gen- 
erally picks up one or two during a day's shoot- 
ing. 

Thus the sum of what you have in this country 
is red deer, fallow deer, roe deer, pigs, wolves, and 
bears (as to the latter, rare), hares, pheasants, 
cocks, snipe, quails, and ducks ; so that a man 
who lays himself out for sport, and has a yacht, 
can have plenty of amusement between September 
and March. 

The coast of Karamania, taking in all the coast 
from some distance below Smyrna, passing Rhodes 
and so on to the Gulf of Ayas, affords all the way 
along capital sport to yachting men. For ex- 
ample, in the large gulfs of Boudroum and 
Marmorice, capital anchorage will be found, and 
a country almost virgin as far as sport is con- 
cerned. 

Some years ago, while commanding an Eng- 
lish ship-of-war, I had the good fortune to be sent 
on a roving commission against pirates that were 
supposed to infest that coast. Somehow I always 
imagined that pirates were more or less sports- 
men, so I hunted for them in places that looked 
gamey, and thus made the acquaintance of many 



268 HOBART PASHA 

almost unknown, or at all events unfrequented, 
harbors and creeks, in which I had famous sport. 

On the coast of Karamania the ibex is to be 
found in considerable quantities ; the red-legged 
partridge and the francolin are also very abun- 
dant, and give capital sport. 

There are also at the head of the gulf I have 
alluded to large marshes for duck and snipe. The 
most celebrated, because the best known place in 
the part I am alluding to, is the Gulf of Ayas, 
into which runs the well-known (to all naval 
sportsmen) river called the Jiboon. A yacht must 
anchor at some distance off the entrance of this 
river, but the anchorage is quite safe in all weath- 
ers. Getting over the bar of the river is a matter 
at times of considerable difficulty, but once inside 
the bar you are in the paradise of shooting. A 
small steam launch is necessary to stem the strong 
current, and to tow another boat up with tents, 
provisions, &c. It is true that in my time we had 
no steam launches, and I shall not forget the hard 
work we had to take two boats sufficiently far up 
the river to get well into the shooting grounds, 
and even after two days' struggling we did not 
arrive so far as I should have wished (we, in fact, 
only got four miles up the stream). Still we had 
some rare sport, the more especially with pigs and 
francolin. 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 269 

The morning after we had pitched our tents 
some wandering Arabs came to us and offered to 
beat the woods, which they declared to be full of 
wild boar. They told us that the habit of these 
animals was, on being driven, to take to the river 
and swim to the other side; so we placed our guns 
along the banks and told the boat to guard the 
river from pigs swimming across, and try to stop 
them as best they could. The gunners available 
for the shore work consisted of myself and two 
friends and my coxswain, who was armed with a 
ship's rifle. The Arabs went into the bush on 
horseback; the beat had hardly begun when a lot of 
pigs were started, all making for the river; three 
of these were knocked over. As they approached 
several others dashed into the river, and a most 
amusing hunt was made after them by the sailors. 
Not being armed with rifles, their weapons of of- 
fence against piggy were revolvers, ropes, and the 
stretchers of the boats. 

There was, as may be supposed, great excite- 
ment among the men when the pigs took to the 
water ; they at once went at them, firing revolvers, 
pulling after them as they swam, using language 
not allowed in these refined days in the navy ; and, 
before we got to the scene of action they had 
lassoed as it were two fine pigs, and tied them to 
trees on the riverside, and when we arrived were 



270 HOBART PASHA 

firing their revolvers at them apparently with very 
little effect; however, we soon gave the animals 
the coup de grace. Thus we killed five pigs in 
our first drive. We took the liver, alias fry, out 
of the pigs to eat (it is most excellent), cut off 
the heads of the tuskers, and hung the remaining 
parts on a tree to wait our return, changing our 
camp further up the river the same night. 

The next morning early I took a stroll into the 
woods by myself. While looking about me I saw 
what I thought was a large animal sleeping in the 
bushes. I began accordingly to stalk him. I got 
within eighty yards, put my gun up to shoot, but 
as I could not pitch on a vital part to aim at, only 
seeing a mass of what was evidently an animal 
rolled up, I went nearer and nearer; in fact, little 
by little, I got within ten yards of the quarry; 
then I fired a ball into what I now saw was a 
huge pig. No move! What did it mean? I 
could not have killed it sleeping. However, I took 
courage and went close and put my hand on the 
beast; what should it be but an immense boar 
lying dead in his lair. He must have died months 
before I found him, as the skin fell to pieces on 
being touched, the hair into powder ; his head was 
a splendid one, but I could only save the j awbones, 
in which were a grand pair of tusks. The moral 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 271 

of this is that pigs, like everything else, die 
sometimes quietly in their beds, be that retreat 
only a lair in the forest; but it is a rare occur- 
rence to find relics of wild animals in so perfect 
a state. I fancy their friends and relations gen- 
erally eat them. The bed or lair he was lying in 
was a most snug spot, and he would have been 
quite invisible had not some of the brushwood been 
burnt away, Arab fashion, a short time before I 
found him. 

I must warn any sportsman intending to shoot 
in the Jiboon river country that the wandering 
Arabs who are to be found there, though not brig- 
ands of a high order, are petty thieves to the last 
degree. We were always obliged to keep a watch 
in our tents, leaving a man behind in charge when 
we went on shooting excursions. On one occasion 
we found on our return that our watchman had 
captured an old woman whom he caught in the act 
of creeping under the tent and stealing a spoon. 

I had myself a curious adventure. An Arab 
told me that he knew where a boar was lying in 
the long grass, and that he would take me to the 
spot if I would accompany him. We started off 
together, and on getting well into the wood we 
went on our hands and knees, crawling under the 
trees and brushwood, towards the spot where the 



272 HOBART PASHA 

boar was supposed to be. We had to keep quite 
close together. I carried round my neck a very 
pretty silver whistle, which I prized exceedingly. 
Suddenly, when we were in a very thick part of 
the bush, the Arab seized hold of my whistle and 
held it tight. I immediately grasped the hand 
that held the whistle; this I did with my right 
hand holding his left. He, with his right hand, 
tried to draw a knife. I, with my left, tried to 
get my gun to bear on him, but there was so little 
room to spare on account of the thick bush that 
both our operations were difficult of performance. 
As soon as I saw him trying to draw a knife, I 
dropped the hand with the whistle, and seized that 
with which he tried to draw the knife. Thus the 
play went on for two or three minutes ; neither of 
us spoke, all our energies were directed on our 
different games. At last, by turning round a 
little, I succeeded in giving him a tremendous kick, 
which rolled him over on his back ; then my gun 
was free, and I held it to his head, upon which he 
took an attitude of supplication on his knees, and 
prayed for quarter. I made him give me his 
knife, go on all-fours again, and creep« before me 
out of the wood. This was a most audacious at- 
tempt at petty robbery. I should like to have 
peppered him a little, but he was so penitent, I 
decided to let him go. I don't think he meant to 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 273 

stab me; I think he merely wanted to cut the 
string that held the whistle. These men were not 
generally murderers. 

On this trip we killed twelve pigs, a hundred and 
seven francolin, one lynx, and lots of cock and 
ducks. 

Coming back to the ship I, and those with me in 
my boat, very nearly came to utter grief. There 
was a good deal of sea on the bar of the river. 
The cutter that was with me got over all safe, but 
my whale-boat being loaded heavily with pigs, &c, 
refused to rise with the waves, and not doing so, 
the consequences were that she filled and capsized. 
We had all to jump and make for the shore, a 
distance of nearly a mile, being in the greatest 
danger while doing so of getting into the current 
of the river. Any one who had done this must 
have been washed away and drowned; however, 
thank goodness, all hands were saved. The whale- 
boat was afterwards picked up, having been washed 
out to sea, but we lost all tents, spare guns, &c. ; 
the pigs remained in the boat, as they were stowed 
under the thwarts, and hadn't room to float out; 
so, friends, take warning of the bar of the Jiboon 
river. 

It was about this time that I received a report 
from some American missionaries to the effect that 
one of their comrades had been robbed and mur- 



274 HOBART PASHA 

dered by some Arabs who inhabited the mountains 
near Alexandretta, people whose evil deeds had 
for some time past brought them into notoriety. 
Although I was under orders to join the com- 
mander-in-chief, I took it upon myself to remain 
and assist the Americans in hunting down if pos- 
sible the murderers of their comrade. 

I confess I was made more zealous in the cause 
from hearing that there were " lots of big game on 
the hills." I invited two or three of these Amer- 
ican missionaries to join my mess, and off we went 
to look for the murderers. As this is a chapter 
on shooting, I will as briefly as possible state what 
we did in the official way. In the first place we 
anchored at the head of the Gulf of Ayas, near 
a large town where resided the chief authority of 
the neighborhood in which the murder had been 
committed. I landed with the missionaries, sev- 
eral of my officers, and some marines to act as an 
escort, and paid an official visit to this gentleman, 
who was called the caimakam, or chief magistrate. 
This great man told us that we should certainly 
with his assistance find the people we were after. 
He suggested that we should accompany him with 
a small body of our men, to which he could add 
some of his zeptiehs ; that thus accompanied he 
would go to a place on the hill where we should 
find what we wanted. He said that a little " back- 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 275 

sheesh" was necessary. This latter we found, 
and the next day we started. 

We ascended amongst the most magnificent 
wooded hills I ever saw. " Such places for 
game ! " thought I, till at last we halted at a clump 
of splendid oak trees. Under one of these a grand 
luncheon was spread, of which we were all invited 
to partake. During the luncheon a man rushed 
up to our host and whispered in his ear something 
which seemed to give him great satisfaction, for 
he at once smilingly said, " Captain, I have found 
the men you are after ; " and sure enough we saw 
approaching two ruffianly looking fellows, tied to- 
gether, and being dragged along by men on horse- 
back. I hope they were the right men. I will 
presume that they were, but they had been very 
quick in catching them. After my missionary 
friend who spoke their language had interrogated 
the prisoners, he requested that they might be kept 
apart, which was done, and they were given in 
charge of separate sentinels, to whose horses they 
were tied. We then returned to our lunch, our 
pipes, and our coffee. Suddenly we heard a pistol 
shot, a rush, and a scream from the neighborhood 
of the prisoners. It seems that one of them had 
drawn the pistol from his guardian's belt, shot him 
dead, jumped on to the horse, and galloped off. 
Everybody, marines and all, tried to follow. Such 



276 HOBART PASHA 

a row never was heard; but the man knew the 
country, and we saw him no more. I was rather 
glad, for he must have been a plucky fellow. 

The other prisoner was doubly secured and 
taken down to the village. He was afterwards 
hanged, so justice was satisfied and my work 
finished. I got a letter of thanks from the Presi- 
dent of the United States, of which I was and am 
still very proud, and meant to have used had block- 
ade-running brought me to grief. 

This business being satisfactorily concluded, I 
asked my friend the caimakam if there was any 
big game to be had. His answer was, " Chok au 
va," which meant there was plenty: and he under- 
took to beat the neighboring woods that very day 
with his men. We were told that there were plenty 
of roe deer, foxes, jackals, &c, so we loaded our 
guns with S.S.G. cartridges (which means, I may 
tell it to the uninitiated, buckshot). We were 
stationed on the outskirts of a splendid oak wood 
that looked like holding any mortal thing in the 
way of game. Soon as the beaters set to work 
cocks began to fly about in all directions, but we 
had an instinct that something more important 
would turn up, so took no notice of feathered 
game. 

I was watching close, trying to look through 
almost impenetrable brushwood, when I heard a 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 277 

rustling sort of noise near me, and suddenly I 
caught sight of something which almost made my 
hair stand on end — a great tiger leopard, creep- 
ing, stealthily as a cat, out of the wood, within 
twenty yards of where I was standing. Fortu- 
nately he did not look my way. What was I to 
do? My gun, as I said, was loaded with buck- 
shot ; a miss or a wound would have been sure to 
bring the brute on top of me. However, I did 
not hesitate more than a couple of seconds ; I 
pointed my gun at his heart just behind the 
shoulder, and pulled the trigger. The whole 
charge went straight where I pointed it, and the 
tiger rolled over on his back. I put a ball into 
my gun and approached him very gingerly. When 
I got close to him I found he hadn't a kick in him. 
His claws were crunched up as if grasping some- 
thing, his grand eyes were growing dim, and 
though, to make all sure, I fired a ball into his 
head, it was not necessary, as I found nine buck- 
shot in the heart. He was a splendid beast, eleven 
feet from tip of tail to end of nose. It was said 
that he- had killed a shepherd some days before, 
so he deserved his fate. 

Before returning to the ship that evening, we 
arranged that the Arabs should turn out the next 
day to drive the covers on the beach near the ship, 
which were supposed to hold deer and pigs. I 



278 HOBART PASHA 

must mention that these Arabs are very different 
to the wandering tribes we had lately been amongst ; 
they are warlike, unscrupulous, and dishonest. 
We made an arrangement with them that all game 
killed should belong to us, the beaters being paid 
in gunpowder, which they prized very much. The 
Arabs thought we should only find pig, and as 
Mussulmans won't touch it, the bargain was con- 
sidered satisfactory to both parties. 

It so happened that at the first drive a very 
fine deer, of a species I had never seen before, 
broke cover. I had the luck to shoot him, and 
as the ship was lying very near, we hailed her for 
a boat in which to send off our game. I saw a 
good deal of whispering among the Arabs, who, 
after some discussion, informed us through one of 
the missionaries, who kindly acted as interpreter, 
that the deer must belong to them, as they only 
promised to give the pigs, and they openly de- 
clared we should not take it on board. I wasn't 
going to stand this, for many reasons. In the 
first place it was necessary to show these people 
that we were their masters, secondly, by our agree- 
ment the deer was ours. When the boat (a cutter 
with ten men unarmed) had come on shore, I gave 
orders for the men to return and bring their arms 
and ten marines, also armed. The Arabs, of 
whom there were about one hundred armed to the 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 279 

teeth, seemed firm in their decision ; so was I. 
When I pointed to my armed men, who were by 
this time landing, they pointed with the same 
significant gestures to their armed men. At this 
critical moment, my first lieutenant, seeing that 
something was wrong, fired a shell right over our 
heads to intimidate the Arabs, and the result 
showed that it had that effect. The deer was lying 
on the beach. I ordered the marines to form a 
cordon round him, and the sailors to bring up the 
boat stretchers on which to lay the animal. 

When all was ready I gave the command to 
carry it away and put it in the boat. The Arabs 
cocked their muskets and made a move forward; 
the marines turned and faced them. I thought 
we were in for a fight ; however, the bearers carried 
off their charge and placed it in the boat, when 
to my astonishment the Arab chief put down his 
musket and came and made his salaam to me, ask- 
ing if he might be allowed to visit the ship. I, of 
course, was delighted. We took him and several 
of his friends on board. So passed off what might 
have been a serious affair. I might have become 
involved in a long explanation to show that I was 
right in protecting my game by armed force, but 
under all the circumstances I feel that I was fully 
justified in doing so. 

I should like before finishing these sketches to 



280 HOBART PASHA 

say something about the society of Constantinople. 
As one cannot always be out shooting, it is very 
important to our happiness to have something to 
fall back upon in the social way. I was told once 
by a very great friend of mine, who saw that I 
was inclined to fret, " to take everything as a 
joke." If one's liver is in good order it is very 
easy to do so, but sometimes the contrary is the 
case, and it makes one at times quite savage to 
see the airs that are temporarily put on by those 
that form the so-called upper or diplomatic society 
of Pera. Here are really amiable people so ut- 
terly spoilt by the exalted idea of their own dignity 
that they become absolute bores, especially to any 
one accustomed to good society. If you go to 
a soiree you see grouped together, for fear of con- 
tamination with the outsiders (without which a 
successful party cannot be formed), the members 
of the so-called " sacred circle," talking to each 
other in dignified (or undignified, as the case may 
be judged) whispers. While all others are cheer- 
ful and gay, you scarcely see a smile on the coun- 
tenances of these tremendous swells. 

If you go in the street you will meet a creature 
dressed in most gorgeous apparel, armed to the 
teeth with firearms that probably won't go off, 
knives and daggers covered with precious stones, 
walking solemnly along. If you look carefully 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 281 

among the crowd in his wake you will discover 
some one, or ones, walking with an indignant 
swagger at being hustled by the vulgar crowd. 
The man in gold, armed to the teeth, is what is 
called a cavass, and these swells behind are the 
representatives, male or female, of some foreign 
potentate, taking a walk. It would be quite infra 
dig. to go without one of these useless appendages. 
Again, if an individual not belonging to the 
" sacred circle " meets a foreign representative 
who condescends to speak to him, and while he is 
doing so another member of an embassy " heaves 
in sight," the first swell will immediately sheer off, 
looking ashamed at having so far forgotten him- 
self as to be seen speaking to any one outside " his 
circle." 

You may occasionally be invited to the houses 
of these exalted personages, but there is always an 
implied condescension in their attitude which tends 
to negative the effect of their good intentions. 
And all this is a great pity, because these people 
must be tired of each other, and would find quite 
as much intelligence outside as inside their circle. 
Besides, there are charming people among them 
who would ornament any society, but their ill-acted 
airs of " brief authority" quite spoil them, and 
make them, as I said, bores to themselves and to 
those who would be their friends. 



282 HOBART PASHA 

I will, in proof of what I say, relate a short 
anecdote as to what occurred in the house of a 
friend of mine. 

This friend gave a very large fancy dress ball, 
at which two or three hundred people were present. 
The ball was in every way a success, but as the 
giver did not belong to the " sacred circle," the 
members of that body only condescended to go for 
a short time. I have no doubt (for there are lots 
of jolly people among them) that they would have 
liked to have stopped much longer, but it was not 
thought " dignified." So, after a short time, most 
of the " sacred circle " sneaked away. One of 
them who had two charming daughters, devoted to 
dancing, not having noticed the departure of the 
great people till that moment, came hurriedly to 
my friend and said, " Good-night, I must go, every 
one is gone." "Every one?" said my friend, 
" why, look at the rooms, there are at least two 
hundred people dancing and amusing themselves." 
" Yes, I see," said the diplomat (he was rather a 
small one), "but I mean the ambassadors and 
their parties are gone, so I must go ; but for once, 
to please you, I'll leave my daughters." This is 
a fact, and shows the unfortunate system that 
ruins to a great extent the sociability of society in 
Pera. 

Now it is true that all these people are called 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 283 

barons, counts, viscounts, &c., but my friend be- 
longs to a right good family, and would have been 
more than the equal of many of them had they 
met in Paris, London, St. Petersburg, Berlin, or 
Vienna. 

The title of baron, &c, seems to me to be always 
given to a diplomat ex-officio. However, barons 
or no barons, the rule of exclusiveness laid down 
by the " sacred circle " at Constantinople is to be 
deplored, as it injures society sadly. Few large 
parties are given now except those got up by the 
great people. When an outsider sends out in- 
vitations for a ball, or any other kind of reunion, 
the negotiations that go on between the swells as 
to whether they should patronise it or not are 
comical in the extreme. Should ever so slight an 
omission in the form of these invitations, or a 
mere accident in the delivery thereof, appear to 
them to touch their dignity, they will probably all 
absent themselves in a body, even were it question 
of the marriage or the funeral of one of their 
oldest and most respectable acquaintances. Not 
being one of them, and not caring very much for 
artificial society, I look on with great amusement. 
Some one gave great offence on a late occasion, 
while describing society in Pera, by suggesting 
that if there were a European court here things 
would be very different ; so they might. People 



284 HOBART PASHA 

would then find their level, as they do in other 
capitals. 

I feel very sorry for the members of the " sacred 
circle." Not only do they lose much now, but it 
will be awkward for them when they go back whence 
they came. A short time ago I asked a very high 
and mighty personage if she did not fear the 
change that must come when she left Constanti- 
nople. She answered with great frankness : " I 
feel that most of what you say is correct, but be- 
fore I came here I was very small fry ; now I know 
I am a swell, and mean to enjoy myself." She 
was like those reckless ones who cried : " Let us 
eat and drink, for to-morrow we die." I have 
seen a stand made by one or two of these mighty 
ones, an attempt to break down the system of 
pompous exclusiveness, but that attempt unfortu- 
nately failed. 

I must say that the foreign colonies in Pera are 
much to blame, for they worship with all their 
minds and all their strength their different chiefs 
and chieftainesses, and human nature being weak, 
&c, &c. 

Apart from the " sacred circle " there is a nice 
little society where people go in for enjoying them- 
selves, and succeed in doing so very comfortably ; 
but even there, with some few exceptions, there is 
that secret longing for one or two of the swells 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 285 

— even a junior secretary of an embassy is looked 
upon as a desideratum. 

The Greeks keep very much to themselves ; so 
do the Armenians. The Turks are exceedingly 
fond of going into society, but their domestic ar- 
rangements tend to prevent their entertaining. 

His Majesty the Sultan frequently invites Euro- 
pean ladies to his dinner parties, and those who 
have had that honor must have thoroughly en- 
joyed the delicious music and the pleasant enter- 
tainments after dinner at the Palace of Yildiz. I 
don't see why His Imperial Majesty's example is 
not followed by some of his subjects; perhaps we 
may come to that by-and-by. 

In what I have said about society in Pera I have 
not meant to be personal or offensive in any way. 
My object has been to show up a rotten system 
whereby everybody suffers. 

If I bring these pages to a somewhat abrupt 
conclusion, it is because I have had the bad luck 
to get a chill out shooting, and have been some- 
what seriously ill. However, I have hope that 
there is " life in the old dog yet," and that I may 
before long have some other adventures of a sim- 
ilar description to add to these " unvarnished 
sketches " of my life. 

THE END 



OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY— NEW YORK 




OUTING 
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Edited by Horace Kephart 

Here are brought together for the first 
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OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY— NEW YORK 

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